In the Place of Mortals
by Ensign Klutz
Summary: After losing consciousness during a mission, the six teenage heroes wake up in an unknown place with the one goal of beating a madman's test of survival. There is just one catch: all the Metahuman heroes have lost their powers. Will they survive?
1. Chapter 1

**In the Place of Mortals**

**Chinese Fairy: **Hello, hello, hello people who come to read my stories that worship the Young Justice fandom that has me by the fangirl hair! It is the story you have all been waiting for! The new story to my collection! Regarding, "The Choice in His Hands", I will finish that one soon, but for right now, I will try balancing this story and that one.

**Disclaimer:** Yes, yes I finally have the rights to "Young Justice"… ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Of course I don't own the rights! The title of this website is "fanfiction". I do not own any of the rights! Everything belongs to the rightful owners: D.C Comics, Warner Bros., and of course Cartoon Network. Jeez!

**Chinese Fairy:** I offered this idea to you all and now here it is, the new crazy story! ENJOY!

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**In the Place of Mortals**

**Chapter 1**

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A swift back flip allowed a lithe form to dodge the crack of a liquid whip. Another strike from the hydro-weapon made Robin dodge roll out of the way and in the same motion, he flung two birdarangs towards Aqualad.

The whip shapes retracted back into the Atlantean's channeling weapons and spat back out to form a shield. A small detonation caused a plume of smoke to surround the older teen and Kaldur lost sight of the younger hero. When the gray clouds cleared, Aqualad came face to near contact with the end of the Boy Wonder's boa staff.

"Enough," called Black Canary as she ended the mock battle.

Both teenagers pulled back from one another with smiles on their lips. "Great work, Robin." Spoke Kaldur, this made his younger brother grin madly and he replied brightly, "You too. You nearly got me with that move a couple minutes back."

Megan and Wally both ran to their friends sides smiling widely, "That was incredible!" chirped the Martian; the speedster added just as enthusiastically, "You guys were epic!"

Conner and Artemis now joined the rest of the team and the archer spoke, "Come on speedster, I wanna go up against you now." She taunted; Wally turned to face her and replied, "Sure, I'm gonna wipe the floor with you." They both walked back into the center of the room and posed their bodies in neutral stances.

Robin somersaulted off the ring with Aqualad and Superboy trailing after him and Megan was floating in midair.

Black Canary took a step back and glanced at both teenage heroes before crying out, "Begin!"

Artemis took the first offense and quickly fired an arrow at Kid Flash. As expected, he easily dodged and ran behind her in a blur of red and yellow with a smug smirk on his lips and the look of triumph in his eyes. Just as he was about to tap her on the shoulder playfully, the archer swung her bow upwards and nicked him on the side of his head with the tip of the lower limb.

"Yeow!" he cried out in shock more than pain. Kid Flash managed to duck his head down and winced slightly as he tried to right his form after his last-second-dodge. He was too busy trying to right himself to notice her quick roundhouse kick and "oof"-ed as her leg impacted his chest. Almost as fast as him, Artemis crouched down to a kneeling position and swung her leg in a swiping motion to his calves and he splayed out on the floor.

Wally grunted as his back collided with the bright flooring and it illuminated a message that read, "FAIL" in bright red letters. Artemis was panting lightly as she appeared over him with a triumphant smile.

He grinned sheepishly back and stated, "I guess I'm getting dinner for us tonight, huh?" she nodded and offered him a helping hand to stand up. He took her smaller hand into his and the speedster pulled himself up wit her help. Artemis placed a quick kiss to his cheek and replied, "You were so taken with my beauty that you were distracted."

As they grinned to one another, Black Canary spoke, "That is true, what was Kid Flash's mistake?" her question broke their moment and Robin piped in, "He was too taken by Artemis's beauty that he forgot he was training!" he teased.

Kaldur smiled and answered his trainer's question, "He was overestimating his abilities as I did." Dinah nodded with an understanding gaze. "Correct. Kid Flash and Aqualad both know that even though their allies are capable fighters, they still underestimated Robin and Artemis, thereby losing their matches."

She turned to give each young hero an even look as she warned them all, "Be confident in your abilities and not overconfident. You will make a mistake and your teammates will suffer the consequences. This warning is more for the Metahumans of the team. You are all gifted with abilities that two of your teammates do not posses, but don't let that power go to your head."

Aqualad and Megan nodded; Wally and Conner did not nod in acknowledgement that they heard, but Black Canary saw that they were listening. After a moment she nodded and sighed silently, "I have a previous engagement; we're done for today. Good job everyone." They all murmured good-byes and the team of heroes dispersed.

Artemis and Megan strolled to the girl's locker room on one side of the to shower while the boys made their way to the opposite side of the room that opened to the boy's locker room.

Black Canary walked through the main doorway that lead into the large training room and shut off the lights.

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Kid flash zoomed into the dining room with a brilliant smile on his lips as he balanced two large cardboard boxes in his hands and one perched on his head. "I got us all pizza!" he exclaimed to the room's inhabitants. Robin, Kaldur, and Conner all glanced up from the television, which displayed a video game, while Artemis looked up from her job of painting her Martian friend's fingernails a matching red to her hair.

Aqualad stood from his seat and helped his friend take their dinner to the coffee table in front of the couches. Robin and Artemis both strolled over to the refrigerator and brought back one soda can each for everyone.

"What are we watching tonight?" asked Megan as she levitated several DVD cases off their places on the shelves and hovered them in front her friend's faces so they could see their vast collection.

"Mystery," answered Robin.

"Horror," requested Aqualad.

"Action," synchronized Kid Flash and Artemis.

"Adventure," said Superboy after he took a gulp of grape soda.

"I'd like comedy," commented Megan. Artemis turned to the youngest member and smirked; he nodded in return and they both called out, "Rock, paper, scissors!"

Robin grinned, "Mystery won!" he declared, she pouted, but the pizza slice that Wally offered her dispersed her loss. The Boy Wonder made his way over to Kaldur and they repeated the hand game; now it was his turn to pout. The Atlantean turned to his right and faced Megan. Once again he won and she shivered involuntarily. _"He's going to make us watch another foreign horror films!"_

Finally, the Atlantean face Conner and they began the final round that held their movie watching in the balance.

A klaxon went off and all the teenagers glanced at one another. Kaldur sighed silently and turned to face his team, "Let's put this all away and we can eat when we get back." He ordered in a soft tone; everyone mutually agreed and Miss. Martian lifted the boxes into the air and Robin, who flipped over the counter and landed gracefully near the oven, opened it so their dinner could fly into its mouth.

Artemis turned to run down a hall that would lead her to her room where a green bow and a quiver of arrows waited for their owner, but Wally flashed down the same hallway and returned a moment later with her equipment. "Can't a guy do something nice every once and a while?" he questioned while offering her the weapons.

His words made her smile and reply, "Only if you minimize the doting to once a week." He grinned and ran down the corridor that would lead the Young Justice Team to the briefing room where Batman was waiting for them.

Everyone else followed at a more leisurely pace and the team came face to face with Batman, Superman, and Aquaman.

"Annex Orin," greeted Kaldur as he placed his enclosed hand to his forehead; his king smiled and nodded in return, but any other greetings were silenced as the Dark Knight dove into the briefing.

"Two hours ago, there was a security breech in the S.T.A.R Labs on New Troy Island, Metropolis. The facility reported that one of their doctor's walked into the biochemical sector and he made out with a case of the anthrax virus," Robin's form became rigid. Kid Flash and Artemis both glanced at one another and the Dark Knight continued.

His fingers typed furiously onto the keyboard and images of the virus appeared in 3-D form on the large screen in front of the group. "This is the normal strand of the bacterium Bacillus anthracis, but this batch was altered by two scientists who worked in the lab." Two pictures of two middle-aged men snapped opened from a file on another screen and Superman spoke, "The man on the left is Dr. Jarred Portland and the other is Dr. Sean Wisely. They took a sample of the Bane Venom and integrated it into the Anthrax strand."

Conner felt his hands ball up into fists and his glare settled upon the two scientists. The Man of Steel stepped closer to the keyboard and typed in a command of his own. Crime scene photos flooded onto a third screen as they displayed a murder that had Megan squirming when she saw the blood bath.

The images showed different angles of an office that was psychotically painted in blood with the victim slumped to the floor by the mahogany desk. The deceased was Doctor Sean Wisely who was covered in as much blood as the walls were.

Batman ignored the winces from the protégés and continued speaking, "Dr. Wisely was killed in an attempt to notify the board of Dr. Portland's illegal actions with a third party. He was selling his altered biochemical weapons for half a million dollars per batch and when it was about to be brought to the director of S.T.A.R Labs…" his voice faded as he shut down the monitor with the gruesome slaying and opened a map that showed off the east coast of the United States.

"A trail of the thief's movements go from Metropolis northward," his protégé cut into his sentence in a murmured statement, "He's going to try and cross the Canadian border."

Batman nodded and zoomed in to the border that lined the state of New York and Canada. "His trail has stopped right outside the margin in the city of Constable where it will continue into Canada via Quebec; here is where the mission begins." He glanced at Superman with a disapproving frown.

The other hero flashed his friend a quick encouraging smile and began speaking where the glaring Dark Knight left off. "The mission is straightforward and if you all continue working as well as you have these past three months, it should be easy. Find the assumed suspect, Dr. Portland and retrieve the case of altered Anthrax."

Aqualad took in all the information that was just given to his team and spoke, "How do we know that that is really him and not a decoy?" his question was answered by Robin; the youngest teenager took a step closer to the 3-D rendering of the virus and stated, "The case is from S.T.A.R Labs and for insurance, they line each case with a tracking device that is in liquid form. The moment the box leaves the laboratory without it being cleared for transportation, the liquid will break and create… kinda like a heat trail for us to follow."

Batman's aura radiated pride in his son's quick-minded conclusion and Aquaman now spoke up for the first time, "This is a dangerous mission, but since Dr. Portland is expecting us, the League, we thought it would be to everyone's advantage if you took the mission." The King of the Ocean's tone was still calm and composed, but his adoptive son, Kaldur'ahm also heard the tint of disapproval.

Both Batman and Aquaman subtly glanced at Superman and the Young Justice Team realized who _really_ thought this was a good idea. Kaldur quickly nodded and replied before his father could try and negate their upcoming mission. "We have proved ourselves ready; you believe we are ready."

Finally, the Dark Knight turned to the team and stated, "Very well, go suit up and prepare to leave for Constable, New York."

The six teenagers walked at a faster pace to their rooms and changed from their casual clothes into their hero attires. Wally adjusted his goggles as he ran out of his room in his second identity: Kid Flash. Megan phased out of her maroon skirt and blouse into her blue skirt, boots, cape, and white t-shirt and flew out of her room.

Robin flipped out of his room in his black and red suit with his yellow and black cape fluttering behind him. He met Conner at the end of the hall since the clone did not need to change and they both ran down the rest of the hall. Artemis smiled as she placed her green mask onto her face in her room, _"I guess it was silly of Wally to get me my bow since I ended up here to change…"_ she couldn't really foul him. Ever since she got rid of Pandora, the archer felt more comfortable around the speedster… her smile grew serene. _"It seems almost… weird to have someone to have as my anchor."_ She pivoted out of her room and ran right behind Kaldur as he sprinted out of his own room, which was located in the same hallway.

They all met in the hanger, which housed the Bio-Ship and Miss. Martian woke her vessel up from its resting pose. While the Young Justice Team prepped the ship for departure, the three League members stood at the mouth of the bay entrance.

Aquaman was frowning as he stated his dislike for the mission; away from his son's ears, "Are you sure they can handle this mission?" it wasn't that he did not trust his son, but he did not trust the man Kaldur was going after.

Batman sided with his Kryptonian friend as he stated indifferently, "They can handle themselves; if Portland wants to sell the anthrax he will not use it against them. Also, he is not a Metahuman. The odds are in their favor."

Superman said with confidence, "They can do this… With all the gathered Intel in our favor, they will be able to take on the doctor. The past three months they fought against Dr. Light, Mad Mod, and Two-Face. They held their own then and they will be able to continue this good teamwork even on this mission."

The Bio-Ship lifted off the ground and their eyes trailed after the ship, as it turned invisible and melded with the late afternoon sky that was soon reaching twilight.

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It was dark when the Bio-Ship touched down in a small clearing surrounded by large pine trees and they exited the vehicle. The County of Franklin was part of North County, New York; if you continued on via NY 30, it would transition into Route 138 and you would soon reach Canada by passing through Quebec.

This town of Constable held their target. The group of heroes silently made their way down a hill that was dusted with the puff of freshly made snow and Wally cursed under his breath. "I-It's not what I expected…!" he gasped as his yellow boot sloshed into a puddle. No one really paid him mind as Aqualad scanned the area around the team.

"If Dr. Portland was really here, he would be in a safe house… Robin," he started, but the younger of the two nodded. The Boy Wonder was already two steps ahead of his leader; sliding open his portable computer embedded in his left glove, he brought it to life and a few beeps later, he grinned at the others. "He's in a house about half a mile from our location. The case of Anthrax is still with him."

The Atlantean nodded and his posture took on the stature of confidence and patience.

"Kid Flash and Miss. Martian will make a perimeter. Run around town; scan the air for anything that may be connected to Portland. Once you have become familiar with the sector, you can carefully begin moving inwards towards our target." They both nodded and waited to be dismissed.

Kaldur turned to Artemis, "I want you to stick with me; we will be going after the target. If he decides to try and flee without the case, you and I will track him." She nodded once and the archer relaxed her tense position closer to Wally.

Lastly he turned to the Boy Wonder and the Boy of Steel, "Robin, we are going to need you to secure the case. On the hypothetical chance that Portland is away from the virus, we are going to need you to disarm the tracking device; if we were able to follow the trail, I am going to assume other enemies can too." Robin grinned up at his leader and nodded energetically. The oldest of the group face Conner and continued, "If he is busy with disarming the box, I want you to defend him."

Superboy had his usual scowl in place, but it had underlines of a determined expression that also flowed protective waves off his body.

Aqualad now looked at everyone as he finished his plan, "I know the Justice League wants to show us that they will not interfere with our missions as much, but this one has my King nervous. Let us take it by the book and do not defer from our plan."

The other five heroes nodded in agreement and Megan levitated her body from the snowy ground, "I will keep us all connected via out minds." She offered; Kid Flash grinned and stated in hushed excitement, "Come on, we can do this!"

Kaldur'ahm nodded his head once and whispered, "Go!"

Their forms blurred out of their clearing.

The mission had begun.

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Kid Flash sprinted all across the town of Constable with no sign of anything amiss. He glanced upward to see the shadowed outline of Megan hovering over him while she scanned the skies.

"_Anything, Megan?"_ he asked out of habit. She replied in the negative and he sighed dramatically; _"This may be another boring mission…"_ Artemis replied to his complaint. _"Think of it this way,"_ she was grinning through the connection, _"The faster we finish this mission, the faster we can go back and eat dinner."_ His head perked up in reply and he sped off again, _"I'm going to check the other side of town!"_

Kaldur and Robin felt amusement radiating from the archer as she slunk through the darkness with the Atlantean two feet in front of her. They were nearing the house.

Superboy and the Boy Wonder easily hopped a fence that lead them through someone's backyard, but since it was a new moon night, no one would be able to see them without a light source. The thirteen-year-old flipped over the next fence and smirked up to Conner who jumped over the blockade with less finesse.

The said teenager grinned back and whispered, "Not all of us are built as shrimps." Robin smiled back and they stopped clowning around to track the heated red trail that would soon bring them to a two-story house with faded white paint peeling off its walls. They were hidden across the street from the lonely home perched on the opposite side of lined houses.

Conner's gaze flickered to two other forms in the area slinking around in the darkness like his partner was. Artemis and Aqualad had used another path to reach the house, coming in from the opposite direction. They were moving closer to the house until their backs were pressed against the faded white side of the abode.

Aqualad scanned the deathly silent street before he spoke in their mental chat room, _"Robin, where is the target located in the house?"_

Superboy glanced at the younger teen next to him while Batman's protégé checked the buildings schematics. A moment later, he replied, _"Portland is_ _located on the second floor, but his body…"_ his voice faded and dread filled his mind. This caught everyone off guard and Kid Flash faltered in a step.

_"What's wrong, Rob?"_ he questioned while righting his running posture. Conner now stared at his friend, whose heartbeat increased; the only reason he knew this was because of his super hearing. The team waited for him to respond and Superman's clone was about to place a supportive hand onto the youth's shoulder, but Robin snapped out of his daze.

"_He- his body is not radiating heat; Portland is dead…"_ his breath hitched in his throat as he hissed out in the link,_ "There may be someone else in the basement! I can't tell because of the lining stone walls!"_ frustration was clear in his voice. Superboy turned his blue eyes towards the lawn where snow was sleeping on and he concentrated on the "ground level".

His hardened gaze continued to burrow into the ground until he broke off with a growl, _"I can't see in there! It… Its walls are also lined with lead."_ This took everyone by surprise. _"Why would a cheap, murdering doctor need a lead lined basement?"_ demanded Artemis as her rigid form shifted slightly beside Kaldur.

Moments ticked by before Kaldur spoke, _"Robin, can you find out who owns the house? If it really belongs to Portland, then we can just assume it is him being paranoid."_

Wally and Megan were now finishing up their perimeter scan and he sighed, _"Nothing to report in, boss…"_ he informed Aqualad. The Martian flew above him and agreed with her friend, _"From what I can hear, there is no one connected to Portland and the virus."_

Her statement was meant to be consoling, but Kaldur snapped his head in her direction. Artemis felt the tug of uneasiness in his mind and straightened her form, _"What is it? What are you questioning?"_

Mental eyes were now locked onto the portion of the town that held her leader as he tried to dissect Megan's statement. _"If no one's minds are thinking about the Anthrax virus or Portland… Then who is in the house? If Robin's computer is correct about an intruder, then who can it be?"_

This froze the blood in everyone's veins as he questioned the unknown… anomaly in the dead man's house. Robin's quick words startled everyone, which made Wally and Megan jump slightly at his loud answer.

"_The home does not belong to Portland… It doesn't belong to anyone!"_ Conner raised an eyebrow, as he asked, _"Couldn't it be an empty house where Portland hides away for a little bit before crossing into Canada?"_ A moment later his partner stated, _"The building has been condemned and its entrances were bordered up four months ago. Cause of condemning it was a burglary that turned bad and killed the family of five… None of the people in this town want to go near it."_

Artemis and Kaldur searched the outside of the house and saw that the windows were not boarded up like the Boy Wonder contested to. On closer inspection, it seemed like there was a lot of cardboard boxes and other things inside, a sign of someone using the residence. The archer peeked up to her team's "boss" as Kid flash had said and whispered, _"If this place is condemned and no one is using it whether they are connected to the drugs: buyer or sellers and if none of the townspeople go near it, then who…?"_ her question made Kaldur's authoritarian tone flow into his words.

"Even if Portland is dead we still need to go in there and collect the virus. Here's what we'll do, Megan and Kid Flash will stay outside and maintain a smaller perimeter that only encircles this one block. Two of us will check out the body to confirm it is Portland. Robin, where is the Anthrax?"

Zooming into the house's schematics, the Boy Wonder tracked the said object via the heat-seeking software in his computer and replied, _"It's in the basement."_

Aqualad stepped close to the backdoor and ordered, _"Then you and Superboy will go down there to get the virus. Artemis and I will go upstairs and confirm that it is really our target."_ Once again, a small sea of agreements rippled in their minds and each hero moved to do as they were told.

Kid Flash sprinted towards the house and began running around the enclosed area. Megan flew high into the moonless sky and soared overhead to ensure that everything remained quiet. She gasped to herself as her body passed through a gray cloud that left her body slightly soaked and it made her body feel heavier as well, but shook it off.

"_Must have been the water in it…"_ she continued her search.

The archer crouched down in front of the splintered back door and pulled out a lock kit from her back pouch. Kaldur stood behind her with his eyes dancing over the shadows of the yard with his channeling weapons clenched in his hands. A faint click informed them both that the old fashioned bolt was unlocked. Nodding to one another, they silently moved into the kitchen that smelled of rust and cleaning solutions.

Wrinkling his nose in distaste, Aqualad's eyes zeroed in on a flight of stairs to his left and swiftly began moving upward. Like a wraith, Artemis followed him up the stairway that protested to their weight upon each step.

Robin and Superboy dashed through the quiet street with no sound coming from their rapid moves. The Boy Wonder slithered to the front door and easily unlocked the front entrance. _"Another thing my younger brother is learning to do,"_ he commented airily as he waltzed into the house; his feet did not make any noise as he stepped on the moth-eaten carpet and Conner followed his relaxed posture into the living room.

Listening intently, the clone of Superman heard his allies upstairs; their soft steps overlapped with the beat of their hearts; they would not be heard from by human's senses. The basement held a heartbeat; it was calm and collected. Conner's eyes pointed to another aged door and Robin nodded subtly. The younger teenager took three quiet steps to the designated door and praying it would not creak in protest; he opened the door.

The door seemed like it understood his silent plea, as it did not creak or whine. Smiling it himself, the Boy Wonder glanced over his shoulder and one encouraging motion from Superboy gave him the "go ahead" to make his way down the wooden stairs.

As they made their way down the stairs, everything in that one second change. The door automatically closed shut behind Conner, which made him turn and see that the front of the swinging panel was a façade of an old wooden door. The other side of the door was metal plated. Robin, who was already down the stairs in a crouching position, quickly turned around at the loud sound of their exit closing and he bit back a gasp.

"_Guys! Something is wrong with this house! GET OUT!"_ he shouted in his mind, but… no one replied.

Ignoring Conner bashing his hands against the door, Robin scanned the room and saw some sort of machine emitting a red light from the center of the room. He gasped loudly as this scenario came together. _"Super men absorb yellow sun light for strength, but when a red sun is near them…" _his trembling lips whispered the last part unconsciously, "A Kryptonian would lose his abilities…"

His first action was to inform his friend of this conclusion, but then Robin thought better of it. Superboy's cursing and swearing lapsed in time with the banging of his fists, so the first thing he should do was get rid of the rays of red sun.

Whipping out a birdarang, he threw it towards the device and blinked as he saw the disk miss the machine by five feet. Blinking back the confusion, he suddenly lurched forward and felt his knees scrap against the cement ground of the basement.

"C… Conner…" he gasped out; somewhere in the recesses of his mind he felt dizzy and nauseous, but at the moment it took all of his concentration to try and get his friend's attention. His world faded fast and Robin fell unconscious due to hypoventilation.

Superboy managed to hear his partner fall limp over his loud racket and turned to see Robin at the bottom of the staircase. Immediately, he forgot about his anger induced fit towards the door and rushed over to his friend's side; a grave mistake. Shaking his head from side to side, Conner felt his mind being muddled by something in the air, but he couldn't smell what it was. He tried to blink back the fatigue; it was no use.

He felt his body sway dangerously from side to side and in attempt to balance his equilibrium; he rested a hand onto the table that held the red light but his disoriented body still toppled forward. Grunting as he hit the floor, Conner's blurry eyes caught sight of a small white object that still had the sound of a heartbeat pulsing through its speaker.

It was a ruse used to lure part of the team here.

"_Well damn…"_ he thought and his world spun into darkness.

_**YJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJ**_

Miss. Martian was floating thirty-feet above the street level when she felt an uncomfortable feeling surge through her mind. It wasn't painful, but it was like walking into a thick fog in the morning. She slowly descended to the ground and silently landed near a telephone pole. She placed a gloved hand against the wooden structure and paused, trying to catch her breath.

"_Wally," _she called out.

Nothing.

Looking up from the graveled floor, Megan searched the partially lit street for her friend, but no sign of the speedster. Gently pushing away from the pole, she tried to walk in a straight line down the abandoned area, but her steps were becoming sluggish. The fog in her mind was somehow increasing in thickness, which caused her to break her silence.

"W-Wally!" she cried out, a tint of panic in her voice.

No response from the speedster.

Her mental eyes searched the street for any sliver of where Kid Flash and she came up empty. Her mind now tried to look for Aqualad or Superboy, but what she saw from one of their points of view caused a scream to rip though the cold night air.

_Kaldur's webbed hand tried to reach towards an unconscious Artemis that was just out of his reach-_ that was the last thing she saw from his perspective before his eyes slid shut.

Megan shrieked and ran down the street; she did not know where she was going, but she needed to find Wally! If he was still in this section of town, he could race to the house and try to help Aqualad and Artemis.

Her telepathy felt her mind brush against the impulsive mind that was identified as Kid Flash; at the same time, her body stumbled due to her boot being snagged by a root protruding from a crack in the cement. A gasp passed her lips as she tumbled forward with a whimper of pain while Martian flash collided with the cold late autumn cement.

The female Martian focused all of her ability on that small trace of Wally's mind and finally found him. From his perspective, he was lying on the ground with his vision blurry and quickly losing focus in a dark alleyway.

Attempting to get up, Megan could not find the strength to move… Her last conscious thought was thinking about her fading over friend and she fell unconscious.

_**YJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJ**_

Kid Flash had just made the twelfth lap around the street when he heard something clattering faintly to the icy road. Pausing mid-stride, Wally glance down the alley where the noise came from and cautiously scanned the darkened side street. A normal person would have listened to the whispers in their ears of danger and move on, but this was a mission. Everything was accountable, even if it made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on ends.

Straightening his form, the speedster _slowly_ took a few steps closer to the mouth of the alley and tried to adjust his eyes faster to the darkness; the cones and rods in his eyes did not obey and continued to keep the place in darkness.

Kid Flash took a few more steps to the alley until he was at the "edge of the precipice" and still saw nothing out of ordinary.

Shrugging, he turned his back to the darkened alley and was about to sprint off when something hit him on the occipital bone of his head. Soap bars placed in a small sack made contact with the back of his head and Wally West's world went black.

_**YJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJ**_

Silence echoed in the mind link that the team shared as Artemis pushed her index finger against the door that was left ajar and it opened to the gentle nudge of her digit. There on the bed was a male lying on his stomach and blood splashed on the old bed cover.

She walked swiftly in the room with her weapons poised and ready to attack anything that may have been gone unnoticed by Robin's holographic computer. Aqualad followed in after her, but not before glancing to their six o'clock. His eyes raked up and down the wallpaper-peeling hallway and saw nothing had changed in the last five seconds.

He righted his crouched posture and walked into the room with his body emitting a calm attitude, but he still had his weapons ready in his hands.

Artemis pointed to the closed closest door and he nodded in response. Neither bothered using the mental chat room since simple hand signs were enough. Aqualad walked over to stand in front of the seemingly normal entrance and tightened his right-handed hold on the channeling weapon.

The archer pulled back her arrow and was standing by the bed ready for anything. He pulled on the yellow handle of the door and it opened without a sound. There was nothing but old clothes dangling on rusted co hangers.

He sighed in subtle relief and turned to see Artemis smiling at his small movement. The Atlantean smiled in returned and closed the door shut back in its original position.

Her eyes danced over the corpse laying face down on the bed with a raised eyebrow. Kaldur also noticed the odd positioning of the body and closed the distance between him and the queen-sized bed. Artemis caught his gaze with her sapphire eyes and gave him one nod of her head and her lithe hand inched towards the body.

Aqualad saw no danger in rolling him over so they could verify if it was really Portland, so he gave her the go ahead sign.

Artemis grabbed a hold of the stone cold shoulder and rolled the man's form over onto his back. She attempted to cry out in shock as a small glass ball in his mouth clinked against his teeth and broke, allowing a powdered cloud to be released into the air.

Violent coughing filled the room as the archer cupped her throat unconsciously; _"Damn it! The vapors are entering my system with every cough I let out!"_ she cursed under her breath and she staggered around the side of the bed in order to reach out for Kaldur. Her form gave way under her weight at the foot of the bed and Aqualad saw that she had fallen cataleptic.

Aqualad shook his head and cleared his airway of the powder, but it still entered his system through his gills. His Atlantean blood tried to fight off the unknown puff of chemicals, but no matter how much his system fought against the pull into darkness, his form already felt like it was going numb.

His knees made contact with the moth-eaten carpet and he tried to crawl to Artemis's side. Aqualad reached his hand out to her unresponsive form and he soon followed Artemis into unnerving nothingness.

_**YJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJ**_

Kid Flash was lying limp against the icy pavement as a large form distorted by a black cloak swept over him and they disappeared back into the alley.

Ten minutes later, that same individual found its way to where Megan was laid out on the sidewalk and his black attire seemed to swallow her whole.

Both heroes were gently placed in a large SUV trunk and covered by a blanket before the said person made their way into the house he called his safety zone. The black SUV was parked in front the condemned abode and the darkness of the street kept it hidden from anyone who may peek out from his or her windows.

The large person, definitely male, padded up the stairs and walked down the hall before entering the master bedroom where Artemis and Aqualad laid unconscious. With a vast amount of upper body strength, he plucked up the archer's limp body and threw her over his shoulder; he then tucked Kaldur's body under one arm and he loudly made his way down the front stairways and back out into the crisp cold air.

He deposited their flaccid bodies in propped positions in the backseats. He set Artemis in the backseat that aligned to the driver's seat and buckled her in. He copied the same movement with Kaldur and sat him upright. The Atlantean's head lolled to one side, but he ignore it and shut the door.

Lastly, he moved to backtrack towards the entrance and made his way down to the basement that still held Robin and Superboy. He first took Robin into a bridal hold and stomped up the stairs and out the front door. The cloaked man opened he trunk again and placed him in between Miss. Martian and Kid Flash.

He now made his way back into the now tainted home for the Kryptonian.

Conner was placed in the front passenger seat with his limp form buckled in securely; before closing the metal platted door, the dark form dropped the same red sun lamp onto the super man's lap. It was still shining with its red rays against his pale complexion when the door closed shut.

It was more like the final nail being shut in their coffin.

Turning back to face the house, the being sighed and thought in an indifferent tone, _"Time to leave the Justice League the Anthrax case…"_

_**YJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJ**_

Batman, Aquaman, Superman, and Red Tornado all stood tensed in front of the super computer in the Watchtower that orbited the Earth.

"They should have checked in by now," commented the King of the Oceans. Batman shifted a step closer to the keyboard and opened a channel to Megan's Bio-Ship.

"Batman to Young Justice League, come in." moments ticked by before he repeated the statement; no response made his eyes narrow underneath the white lids of the cowl.

He turned on the ball of his right foot as he walked out of the large bridge of the space station; he did not show acknowledgement as he heard four pairs of feet walking after him. Martian Manhunter joined them as the five heroes stalked into the javelin bay and all gathered into the ship that was capable of functioning in space and under heaven. With all of them safely on board, the rear hatch ramp shut closed.

The Dark Knight sat in the pilot's seat and did not even bothered waiting for his allies to buckle up as the bay doors slid open to grant them access to outer space. Without another moment being lost, the Javelin shot out away from the Watchtower and it would soon enter the Earth's atmosphere.

With J'onn tracking M'gann's ship, the Justice League members soon touched down near the invisible Bio-Ship in Constable, New York.

Superman and Martian Manhunter flew out of the descending ramp and into the air, "We'll go on ahead and see if they are still at the house!" called out the Man of Steel and they disappeared into the new moon night.

Aquaman and Batman ran towards the Bio-Ship, which reacted to their presence and automatically disabled its own defensive mode. They rushed in and found the cockpit empty; noting to even hint that they had returned with the Anthrax case.

A beeping noise came from the Knight of Gotham's earpiece at the same time the golden "A" of Aquaman's belt lit up. It was Superman calling with news.

"… You guys should come meet us at the house." The Kryptonian's voice was thick with emotions as his voice broke on the word, "house". This made both League members sprint out of the red ship and they ran towards the target's safe house with the last ally flying above them in a swirling tornado.

When they reached the faded white two-story house, they saw J'onn standing at the doorway looking pale and sick.

Batman fluidly sidestepped around his friend as he stomped into the living room where two televisions that did not look as old as everything else in the house were connected to two separate cameras. Superman was standing next to the machine with tense eyes that flickered to Batman's cowl. "I was going to play it when the rest of you got here." He stated in a rough voice.

The hero garbed in red and blue stepped away from the machines and pulled out a case with bright yellow tape on the sign that read: "BIOHAZARD".

"The case has not been opened nor tampered with. It was just sitting here by the set up…" informed Superman as Red Tornado took the item from his ally.

All the gazes turned to pay attention to the footage left for them as Batman pressed play and the show began.

_Robin made his way down the stairs and suddenly lurched forward and felt his knees scrap against the cement ground of the basement._ _Robin fell unconscious due to hypoventilation._

Batman felt his world shatter once again.

Conner now appeared in the camera's view and the reenactment continued._ His body swayed dangerously from side to side and in attempt to balance his equilibrium; he rested a hand onto the table that held the red light but his disoriented body still toppled forward._

Superman's breath hitched as he saw Superboy pass out.

The second T.V showed them what happened to Aqualad and Artemis on the second floor.

_Artemis and Kaldur's bodies rippled with violent coughs as the puff of smoke filled their breathing air and entered their system. Her form gave way under her weight at the foot of the bed and Aqualad saw that she had fallen cataleptic._

Red Tornado felt all his circuits freeze mid-cycle and dread filled his form.

_Aqualad's knees made contact with the moth-eaten carpet and he tried to crawl to Artemis's side. His hand reached out to her unresponsive form and he soon followed Artemis into unnerving nothingness._

King Orin clenched his hands into fists in order to prevent himself from punching the screen.

Both screens turned blue as the home movies ended. No one moved for a minute until the right T.V flickered back into a filmed video. The same man dressed in the pitch-black cloak was standing in the same living room with a scarf hiding his lower face and welding goggles blocking the eye colors of his orbs.

_"Hello Justice League members. I am Nero… As a token of honor, I am returning to you the stolen Anthrax case that your protégés came to retrieve… Unfortunately, they will not be able to give you the item themselves… We will be gone by the time you find and watch this video._

"_Do not worry about them. I will take care of them and give them a lesson I think all heroes must undergo. They will be the first ones to test out my theory. Thank you for allowing me to borrow them and good bye."_

The same dull blue color reappeared on the screen as their enemy, Nero vanished with no trace for them to follow.

It was a reenactment of the Manipulus case, but now… The entire Young Justice Team was stolen.

_**YJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJ**_

**Chinese Fairy: **I am so sorry that this story took two weeks for me to finally post. I've been meaning to, but school is beginning to unwind and finals are coming up. Right about now, I'm studying my butt off and praying that this will make some people happy until I can post the next chapter. "The Choice in His Hands" will be updated soon so don't worry about that.

**NOTE:** Regarding all that happened, don't worry, the next chapter will explain everything in case this chapter left unanswered questions, but I wanted you all to be as lost and confused as the team.

Please excuse any errors or mistakes. I still have not found a Beta reader and BUWA! I am trying to catch all of the mistakes, but I am only human. If you see any, please tell me about them and I will fix them as soon as possible!

THANK YOU AND PLEASE REVIEW!


	2. Chapter 2

**In the Place of Mortals**

**Chapter 2**

**Chinese Fairy: **I'm sorry that this took so long to update, but this is the last week of school and finals are bearing down on me. I'M SORRY THAT THIS TOOK TOO LONG!

**Disclaimer:** As I said in the last chapter, I did not magically inherit the rights to "Young Justice". Everything belongs to the rightful owners: D.C Comics, Warner Bros., and of course, Cartoon Network! Tralalala~ ignore me!

**Warnings:** This is the usual warning fight scenes, blood, slight torture, curses and obscenities, the uses of chemicals and crazy survival games. It sounds like a crappy warning, but you all know that one such as me (who is paranoid) needs to defend myself! (blushes)

Thank you all for putting up with my delayed update!

**_YJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJ_**

**In the Place of Mortals**

**Chapter 2**

**_YJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJ_**

Darkness surrounded Robin as he woke from his forced slumber. Blinking back sleep, he tried to sit up, but felt something hugging his lower face. Bare hands sluggishly found a mask eclipsing his mouth and nose. He removed it. Coughs echoed in the darkness, but he shook it off and felt around his surroundings.

Robin was perched on a wooden cot with something on his neck, tentatively, his fingers grasped the metal collar trying to pull it off, but its latch did not budge. Fighting back the pain, he sat up from his resting place and tried to assess his body. He was sore, but no new wounds.

Suddenly bright florescent lights flooded the room, and he crumpled onto the floor in shock. _This is almost as bad as the Manipulus case! Come on Dick, keep it together! _His eyelids fluttered several times, before his eyes adjusted to the light. Once they did, he scanned the room, nothing but the cot, a mask connected to an oxygen tank, and a door leading out of the room.

The walls were painted white and it pained him to see nothing else in the room, not even dust. _What is it with villains and keeping things freakishly tidy? Only Joker and Killer Croc are the exceptions_. He fell back down onto the cot and exhaled loudly. _This is not good… try to remember what happened and see if there was any clue as to what this will lead to what happened._ He turned his body onto its side and paused as something crinkled under the pillow.

Lifting an eyebrow, he turned over the pillow and found a crumpled note addressed to him. Straightening it out, he read the letter as his complexion paled with every word read.

_Dear Robin,_

_When you wake up, you will have several questions, but only some will be answered. You were taken from Constable, New York with the rest of your team and brought here in order to help me, Nero. I do apologize for the inconvenience, but it had to be done. Once you have regained your senses, you will notice a collar around your neck; whatever you do, do not remove it. It contains a bomb that will go off without being properly removed. For future reference, you will feel slightly sluggish and drained. Do not fear that is from the after effects of Kolokol-1, a drug the Russians created during the Cold War._

_There is nothing to worry about; the effects will wear off soon. As for now, please exit the room when you are ready and go find your teammates. Once you have all gathered together, you will be informed of the rest._

_From Nero_

The letter sent a chill down Robin's spine, but he forced himself to remain calm; at least on the outside. _"If this Nero guy purposely did this; he may be watching me right now and I cannot show him that he's getting to me."_ Sitting up from his place on the makeshift bed, he forced himself to take in a deep breath as a wave of dizziness overtook him, but he steeled his mind and walked to the door. There was one problem; there was no door handle for him to turn.

His mind screamed in frustration as Robin pushed on the frame and spilled to himself as it hissed open. _Pressure doors instead of codes or scanners, keep this in mind_, he informed himself walking out of his cell and into a white linear corridor. Looking left and then to the right, Robin chose to go right to begin the search for his teammates.

**YJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJ**

Superboy gasped from his dreamless sleep as forced himself into consciousness. Growling in frustration, he ripped off the mask, obscuring his mouth, as his eyes darted around the room. Everything was outlined by a dim red light. He resigned himself to glare at the mask in his hand.

He wanted to crush the damn thing. _Everything that happened so far can be blamed on you and I won't feel so bad! _ His anger induced logical thought as he remembered seeing Robin unconscious on that basement floor; a remaindered to Conner of his negligence. _"Crushing you like nothing will be the start of feeling better."_ Tightening the muscles in his hands, he used all of his strength to compress the plastic encased by rubber, but nothing crumbled under his hands. The damn mask didn't even protest under his hand.

"What the hell!" he shouted as he threw it across the room. Loud clattering echoed in the small space as the mask that was connected to the oxygen tank was tugged from its place under his cot and crashed down in the middle part of the room. Superboy was about to bang his head against the wall in growing fury, but panicked when banging on the opposite wall stopped him.

"Hello? Hello, is anyone in there? Conner? Artemis? Kaldur?" It was Robin. Quickly, Superboy stood from his seat on his bed and ran over to the door. He vaguely noted that his knees felt weak, but ignored it as his hands pressed on to the wall.

"Robin! Is that you?" he called through the door.

The reply was swift. "Yeah, Conner, it's me, open the door!" the Boy Wonder shouted while he shoved against the door. The panel did not move. _I guess the doors can only be opened from the inside,_ he evaluated mentally. A loud grunt came from inside as Superboy tried to open the door. "Supes put both palms against the door and press."

A moment later the white plated door opened to reveal a confused Conner. Robin rushed in to see what made the loud clattering noise that caught his attention and saw the tank on its side.

"Other than the dizzy spells, are you okay?" asked the younger of the two as he turned to face his teammate. His eyes widened in shock as he saw a collar around Superboy's neck, but it was slightly different. The ring was the same metal compound as his, but there was a red light coming from a see through sphere set into the device. "Conner." He stepped closer to Superboy and his bare hands gently grabbed the collar.

The Boy of Steel's eyes darted down and he resumed glaring at his restraints. "What the hell is going on?" he barked; his larger hands grabbed onto the restraint and he was about to yank it off, but Robin's hands stopped him.

"No Supes, don't!" he cried out. The pure sound of panic stopped Conner in his tracks as he stared down at the thirteen-year-old.

"Why can't I?" he asked gruffly; his tone was more subdued than normal that made Robin bite his lower lip.

"These collars will explode if they are not removed carefully. Didn't you read the note under your pillow?"

Superboy turned to his pillow and threw it across the room as well. Robin picked up the letter addressed to Conner and read out loud.

_Dear Superboy,_

_I apologize for the awkward shackle around your neck, but it was necessary for this project. You being a Kryptonian made me use a more powerful restraint, but do not worry. It will not inhibit you as much as you may assume. If you have any questions, why not ask Robin for the answers; his mentor must know all about a Kryptonians weaknesses since he knows Superman. Please understand this and bear me no ill will. Now regarding the reason you find yourself in an empty room; it will be answered once you find your other teammates. I hope to speak with all of you soon, take care until later._

_From Nero_

Conner spat out many obscenities as he banged his fist into a wall. There was no blossoming of cracks in the wall like normal and he cried out in anger. "Why don't I have my strength?" he roared.

Robin glanced down at the linoleum floor. "It's because of the replication of red sun light."

Turing a confused gaze towards him, Superboy silently asked his friend to continue. "Yellow sun light gives you and any other Kryptonian power; all your metahuman abilities are unleashed by it. However the red sun that Krypton orbited did not allow its people to tap into their inhuman strength. You being a clone gives you the same disadvantage. It was the same at the house in Constable," he finished quietly.

Conner dropped his gaze to the ground as he linked the reasoning to why his fists did nothing to the basement door. "C'mon," he spoke. "Let's go find the others."

They left the cell at a brisk pace.

_**YJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJ**_

The sound of retching filled a hallway as Artemis expelled bile onto the clean floor. Her hands were balled up as they supported her in a kneeling position. Once her body was done vomiting, she tried to stand up, but her limbs were locked in place. She tightened her right hand, which clutched the letter addressed to her from that asshole Nero and his words rippled in her mind as she tried to force herself to make sense of the situation.

_Dear Artemis,_

_I wanted to take the beginning of this letter to apologize to you. I had to use 3-Quinuclidinyl Benzilate because of Aqualad; I assumed that he would go and examine Dr. Portland's body and whoever was paired with him was going to ingest the substance as well. Unfortunately, this component is more potent than others in incapacitating agents out there, so its side effects will be more aggressive. I took this into account since he is not human. Do not worry though, before leaving you alone in your room, I injected you with the antidote and your body will regain normalcy soon. Please take your time to recover and once you have been found by one of your teammates; you will find out why this has all happened. Thank you for your understanding and I wish you well._

_From, Nero_

_P.S: The general side effects are confusion, stumbling, fever, vomiting, and an array of others, please bear with it._

Tears were forming in her blue eyes as she crumpled to the floor beside her pool of vomit. "I… I want to go home," she murmured; her body shivered against the cold floor under her and a sob escaped her lips. _"Was… whining part of the side effects list?"_ She thought wearily as another sob passed her dried lips.

Footsteps were vibrating through the floor as her head felt the notification of someone moving towards her. The more lucid side of her mind ordered her body to move, but it remained glued to the floor. Now the footsteps were reverberating off the walls as Kid Flash turned the corner and saw the archer splayed out on the floor.

"Artemis!" he cried out as he ran to her side. Gently, he lifted her into his arms, but hissed as something sharp pricked his hand that cupped her neck above her collar. Pulling back, he shifted the archer just so he could see the back of her neck and gasped loudly. A hypodermic needle was poised over her C-2 vertebrae; the collar painted an emerald green held it up.

He cursed and hugged her close. "Artemis…" he whispered in her ear.

She hugged him closer and whimpered. "You aren't an illusion, right Wally?" she begged in a desperate tone.

The speedster pulled back enough so their eyes could meet and offered one of his radiant smiles. "I'm as real as can be."

Smiling in return, Artemis sighed in relief, "I'm glad." They fell into silence as a small amount of peace surrounded them. Suddenly, Kid Flash let out a pained yelp as a hiss escaped his collar. She felt the antidote finally taking effect as the clouds in her head cleared up. Her eyes focused and she gripped onto his upper arms in concern. "Wally!" she called as her hands grabbed onto the sides of his neck.

Seconds ticked by and once a minute passed, Wally's rigid form relaxed. He slumped into her waiting arms and offered a forced smile. "Sorry, Art. This is what my collar does to me every half hour," he said while her hands found a needle located on the inside of his collar.

"What do you mean it happens every half hour?" she growled as Wally lifted both of them off the floor and away from her earlier spill. They strolled down another linear hallway as he began explaining what his letter said.

"In a nut shell, every half and hour I am injected with a new drug that helps someone with high metabolism. The problem is my metabolism is _very_ different from others so this drug… temporarily reverts my metahuman powers into a normal person's level of metabolism… I can't even pretend to have a high metabolism. Sad, huh?"

Artemis squeezed his hands in a comforting manor and replied, "You are still you. When this sick game is over, we will get that piece of crap off you and you'll be the Fastest Boy Alive again." Her eyes shimmered with determination and Kid Flash felt her confidence flow into him.

"You got it, Artemis. Now let's go find the others." They continued down the same corridor for another two minutes before their surroundings offered a new hallway.

_**YJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJ**_

Megan felt tears brimming in her eyes as she turned another corner and saw another empty hallway devoid of any change. _"Where are the others? Why can't I find them?"_ Her erratic thoughts continued down this line of thinking as she hugged herself close to the wall for a small sense of security. Her eyes darted over the linear passage in paranoia. _"How can he be capable of doing this to me? My powers are a natural part of me; how can this Nero steal them from me?"_

In a small chance that she may have read the letter incorrectly, Miss. Martian pulled out the neatly folded note out of her skirt pocket and unfolded it. Her eyes reread the words twice before she slumped to the floor in defeat.

"No matter how much I want to believe it's not true; this haunting note makes it fact." She released the paper and it leisurely descended to the linoleum floor without a sound.

_Dear Miss. Martian,_

_I hope you do not think less of me as I have stolen your Martian abilities from you, but it is only temporarily. I assure you. The two small circular devices located on your temples are tapping into the front half of your brain. Now to be honest, I do not know much about alien brain functions, but hopefully I placed them in the right place. They are sending a sonic frequency that will pulse a disruptive wave throughout your brain and block out your abilities. I hope that it will not inhibit other body functions. Keep in mind that along with restraining your powers, it acts as an explosive device. If you try and remove either object, they will detonate and you may lose your head._

_I hope you understand my reasoning and once your team has gathered together again, I shall inform you all what is to be expected of you._

_From Nero_

In a mixture of fear and hurt, she picked up the paper and crumpled it; Megan threw it over her shoulder and let out a whimper.

"Megan are you hurt?" spoke a male voice from behind.

She whirled around and cried in relief, "Kaldur!" she ran over to his form and hugged him close. He did not return the hug, so she pulled back with a concerned look in her eyes. "What's wrong Kaldur?" He did not respond for a moment until he showed her his hands.

She gasped in alarm and wrapped his webbed hands into hers. In the center of his circle tattoos on the back of his hands were two rings that had a bright white sphere in the middle. As her eyes inspected the odd devices, Megan's gaze followed the trail up Aqualad's arms until it reached over his heart where another white sphere was encased in metal.

"It is to ensure I can not control water or electricity," he explained quietly. Miss. Martian caught sight of an odd piece of equipment covering his gills. It was similar to a piece of scuba gear in looks, but there were pockets of water bubbling occasionally over the Atlantean's gills.

"_The rubber structure of the contraption offers a firm placing and the water-"_

Kaldur seemed to have read her mind, since he finished her mental statement. "The water keeps my body from drying out and dying." Aqualad pulled out his letter and added, "Another obstacle in my way is integrated into the water I take in. Apparently it also has a small dosage of anesthesia that allows me to maintain 'normal' body functions, but I no more powerful than that of an average sixteen-year-old."

His blue-green eyes shifted downwards and Megan pulled him into a hug. "Do not think of this too badly, Kaldur. We are both alive and if these notes have any clues, the others are as well. Let us move on until we find the others and see what this Nero has in mind for us all."

Taking one hand into her own, M'gann M'orzz gently lead Kaldur'ahm down the hallway until they came to something different: two metal doors painted black and white.

They glanced at one another before their palms rested on the door and after administering slight pressure, the door slid open into a wide room the size of a hotel lobby. "What is this place?" asked Megan as her eyes took in the large room with hardly any furniture in it.

There were two couches and four chairs, with matching plush cushions, were positioned around a mahogany coffee table. Only ten feet away from that set up was a dining table filled with many dishes of food still steaming in welcome.

Neither knew how long they were unconscious after leaving Constable, but both heard each other's stomachs growling. "We can not eat anything this Nero offers us. No food can be trusted." The Martian by his side nodded in agreement, then jumped in surprise as another door on the opposite wall opened to allow Robin and Superboy access to the partially carpeted room.

Robin somersaulted over to the Atlantean and Martian with a small smile. "Hey, I take it we all have something holding us all hostage, huh?" his statement was replied with nods of agreement. Conner strolled over to his teammates with a permanent scowl chiseled on his lips.

The third door on the farthest wall opened to let Kid Flash and Artemis into the meeting room with both leaning on one another. The group silently agreed to meet in a circle provided by the bolted down furniture and everyone sat down.

"Do we just wait for Nero to come and meet with us or what?" asked Wally while Artemis sat him down in the two-seater couch dubbed "the love seat".

A voice from speakers hidden in plain sight turned them all into rigid statues. _"Unfortunately, I will not be joining any of you in this meal time. Greeting and good morning to you all, my name is Nero and I hope you all will enjoy helping me prove to the world my theories."_

Superboy glared in the general direction of where to voice was coming from and snarled, "THERE IS NOTHING TO ENJOY FROM THIS, BASTARD! YOU KIDNAPPED US AND NOW YOU WANT US TO DO YOUR BIDDING!" his loud voice rang in the room.

After a few moments, Nero replied, _"I have no schedule that would ask you to compromise yourselves or your beliefs, but I do have a lesson that I want to teach all of the metahumans upon this Earth." _Without waiting for anyone to respond, the enemy continued. _"There are many great heroes out there better than Superman, Wonder Woman, Flash and Aquaman. There is Batman, Green and Red Arrow; the large distance between both groups are enhanced human abilities. The greater heroes are the non-metahumans. They are more determined and stronger, since they can keep up with other metahumans and still save the world. This in turn made me question, 'would Superman be as incredible if he did not have his powers'? That one inquiry lead us to all this."_

Seven feet off the ground, six flat screen panels appeared on the walls to show off six different obstacles in six different settings.

_I want to prove this by temporarily removing all metahuman abilities from your team and have you all go through my levels of survival. If you all make it out, you will have proven me wrong and I will forfeit myself to the Justice League._

Robin frowned, "And if you _do_ win?"

There was a pause before Nero replied with smug attitude lacing his tone, _"Then I get to take all of you apart piece by piece to see what other differences there are between Robin and Superboy or Artemis and Miss. Martian; the choices are endless."_

The voice disappeared for a few minutes and this gave the team time to whisper between themselves.

"What are we going to do?"

"Are all of us held back by these devices?"

"I don't have my utility belt or my computer."

"I don't have my bow or arrows… Not even my small pouches."

"Can we just find him and make him free us?"

Everyone was talking all at once, but the Young Justice team managed to understand one another. Robin turned to Conner who voiced the last statement. "If we go after him, then he may set off our collars and we die."

Aqualad added, "Also, there are many places for Nero to hide. It may take us too long to find him and we could get lost in the maze of hallways and corridors."

Megan nodded and leaned her head against Robin's shoulder. "Is there really nothing we can do?" her soft voice impacted the others more than Superboy's yelling a few minutes back.

Artemis replied firmly, "Of course there are things we can do!" All eyes turned to her as she continued in the same determined tone. "So the four of you don't have your powers; a minor setback. You are all part of the Young Justice League; you weren't chosen for your pretty costumes or powers. We all came together by our own choices, because we want to make the world a better place.

All eyes turned to her as she continued the same hushed voice that still held her determined tone, "So the four of you do not have your powers, a minor setback! You are all part of the Young Justice League; you weren't chosen for your pretty costumes or powers, we all came together _by our own choices_ because we want to make the world a better place! Powers or no powers, we can work together as a team; the same thing we've done for the last eight months and get out of here.

Her words sank in like magic; everyone felt the negative aura turn positive.

"Artemis is right," agreed Aqualad who stood up. "We just have to work together; all our bodies are still strong with training and mental exercises. We can still win this game."

Kid Flash nodded and hugged his archer closer. "That was some speech, Hot Stuff. Can we expect another one someday?"

She rolled her eyes with a grin on her lips as she replied, "Don't get your hopes up Speedy Gonzales; that cheesy speech was a once in a blue moon thing. Don't expect it to happen again."

His grin was a big as hers as Wally kissed her on the cheek. "That's my girl!" Megan and Robin both found themselves giggling at the action that lightened the heavy weight off their heavy shoulders. Superboy and Aqualad were smiling at him.

Maybe there was a bright future than the one Nero painted them.

A few more minutes passed before Nero's voice returned to the room's speakers. _"I will be constantly watching you in order to make sure nothing happens to you; whether it is negative or positive. This also acts as a warning: do not try to escape. You try to escape without winning my games and you shall be killed by any of the restraints I have placed upon you. _ His voice softened as he added, _this level will be your resting floor. Dinner, sleeping, showering, and training will be given to you all and depending on the challenge I give; you will be allowed to use weapons."_

Aqualad spoke up. "If we are pieces to your little game, what happens if we are injured doing it?" his voice maintained its calm composure.

Nero took this into account for a few seconds, before replying, _"Injuries will be treated by my own personal staff. Whatever is needed will be brought in_._"_ The voice took on a more excited tone. _"Now with that all settled; I have had my staff prepare and serve your dinner. It is getting cold, so you should eat. If you have any questions or requests, the staff will get you anything within reason. Good night, my helpers of philosophy."_ There was a small slick and the speakers were shut off.

No one moved towards the table on their left. There was no way in hell that they were going to eat something this freak had given them. Another panel slid open to reveal a young boy who looked no older than ten walk into the room.

He bowed to them and spoke. "Sir Nero thought that you all may be hesitant to eat the food offered to you by him, so I shall act as a test to prove nothing harmful has been done to any of it." The Young Justice Team froze in horror as they saw a new low in the human race.

The young boy who had black hair and green eyes turned away from their eye contact and continued moving towards the dining table that held their feast. He was picking up a fork when a webbed hand stopped him.

"It's okay," murmured Kaldur as he gently pulled the child out of reach of the food. "You do not have to prove to us that it is harmless. We shall eat." The boy nodded and stepped away as Conner and Robin sat side by side on the left side of the table. Artemis and Wally perched themselves opposite of their friends and lastly, Kaldur and Megan took their places at the end.

Without waiting for the child to offer himself to test the food, the archer took a gulp of orange juice; the speedster and Martian took spoonfuls of soup; the Boy Wonder, Atlantean, and Kryptonian began eating mouthfuls of bread. If Miss. Martian had her telepathic powers, they all would have heard each other's distaste for this insanity.

It started with all of them being forced into this game by a sadist and now a child's life was hanging in the balance of them winning this test of survival.

_**YJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJ**_

Batman had not moved from his seat in front of the supercomputer, which was donated by siphoning money from Wayne Enterprise. His gloved fingertips danced over the keyboard as he searched for any trail to follow.

Nothing had proved fruitful.

Faint noises of bats rang through the Batcave as he scanned satellite images of Constable, New York for anything that may lead him to his son. _"How can I have lost him not once, but twice in one year? I was ready for crooks or villains to attack my sons Dick, Jason, or Tim, but not as their hero aliases! I was ready for someone to try and hurt Bruce Wayne. _Batman_ was not ready for this!"_

His thought pattern was fueled by his anger and guilt due to his incompetence of keeping his son and protégé safe from evil once again. _"I swore that I would not remove him from the Young Justice League, but this has to stop. This NEVER happened when he was in Gotham City. At least here I can keep him safe… With the Young Justice I cannot do as much." _ While his thoughts raged on with every negative human emotion, his facial expressions gave nothing away.

His neutral façade kept in place perfectly; it was something he learned to master at a young age once he lost his parents. The Dark Knight did not even turn to acknowledge the moving shadow until she spoke, "Bruce, Tim is asking for you to come and tuck him bed. Why not take a small break and come upstairs for few minutes." Batgirl or, Barbara Gordon, offered softly.

After a moment he replied gruffly, "I need to keep looking for Dick." His answer was terse and held no room for argument.

The redhead rolled her eyes and walked closer to the uneasy hero. "You have been looking at the same files, notes, and pictures for the last twenty-two hours. The Justice League have been combing through Constable and anything in a two hundred mile radius. They have been updating you with no real news, but different ways to say the same thing, 'we haven't found them'. Your second son, the one who is only four years old needs you as well."

Batgirl was walking up the stairs as she added quietly, "You need to remember him as well. You are not the only one suffering from Dick's kidnapping." And then the fourteen-year-old girl vanished back into the mansion.

Batman typing paused as he felt the last statements strike him in his metaphorical heart.

The tapping of plastic keys stopped echoing in his cave and the true ambiance of the lair swallowed him whole.

Faint drops of water fell from stalactites into the darkness; bats communicated to one another before flying off deeper into the abyss. The almost silent hum of the supercomputer faintly reminded him of his son's heartbeat that gave Bruce more comfort than anything else. That was one thing he loved about his sons: all of them had such strong hearts, none of them knew this, but before, Batman would seat himself on the edge of their beds and listen to their heartbeats in the early morning.

Those heartbeats offered him peace. His hands, which were clasped together, pulled apart and he removed his cowl from his face. Bruce Wayne stared at the information in front of his eyes and opened a channel to connect to the Watchtower.

"This is Batman, come in J'onn," he said.

A moment later, The Martian Manhunter replied, "This is J'onn, what is it Batman?"

The Dark Knight replied, "I am signing off for two hours, contact me on channel 3 if anything else comes up." The Martian accepted the news and cut off transmission. Bruce removed his gloves and his dangerous utility belt before walking up the stone steps that lead him into the library of his home. Alfred and Barbara continued their conversation by the fireplace and paid him no mind as he left the room and made his way towards the south wing where the rooms were located.

After he left the room, Alfred asked quietly, "Are you sure there is nothing I can do for him, Miss. Gordon?"

She smiled in return of his uneasy posture and replied, "All you can do is let him hear Tim's heart beating and he will calm down. You know this better than anyone else in the whole world, Alfred." He nodded and she took a small sip of tea from the priceless white porcelain cup.

Bruce still effortlessly integrated into the shadows of his home as he made his way to the second door on the right. He opened the door and found Tim sitting upright with a case file over his covers.

Glancing down, the Dark Knight noticed that his youngest was looking at the profile of Manipulus. The man was still locked away in the Graham Bergain Institute for the Criminally Insane; there was no reason to even consider this was his doing. Tim must have felt his father's eyes on him since he spoke, "I am trying to see what his pattern is, so maybe I can possibly predict this man's next step."

This was all wrong. Tim was not supposed to be poring over a criminal file. He was supposed to be sleeping; his bedtime was an hour ago. Bruce walked over to the side of the bed and gathered the papers into the file before dropping it to the floor without a second glance. The child's big blue eyes focused on Bruce's brilliant blue orbs as he added, "Maybe I can help look for Dick this time." This was said softly and painfully.

The corner of Bruce's eyes softened, as he understood Batgirl's words of 'he was not the only one suffering' replayed in his mind. This marked the second occasion the Bat Family lost a young birdie.

"You can help me by sleeping." He never told any of his children what their heartbeats offered him; that was his secret and his alone. Tim nodded and flattened his pillow against the mattress and not the headboard. In mere seconds, his eyes fluttered shut and he was in the sleeping world.

Bruce sat down on the edge of the bed and after minutes of contemplating, he laid down beside his youngest and listened to Timothy Wayne breath in and out softly with his heart beating away at a leisurely pace.

_**YJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJ**_

Iris Allen has seen her speedster go through many ups and downs in his career of defending Central City, but she had never seen Barry this worked up. He was sitting, no slouched into one of the kitchen chairs with his right leg bouncing up and down at such a high speed that it was breaking the wood flooring beneath his foot. Barry did not even notice it

His posture was sharpened because of the moonlight spilling into the room via the window above the sink. Barry looked smaller than normal and the moonlight was not helping his complexion.

She took the four steps that enclosed the distance between them before she rested her small hand on his knee. "That's enough, dear. Anymore and you are going to have to owe me a new kitchen floor." Her attempt at light banter snapped the Flash out his daze and he turned to face his wife with empty eyes.

"Iris," his voice cracked, but he continued as if he didn't notice this. "I didn't think that this was possible. He is the second fastest person in the world… Clark is losing the title because Wally is accepting the Speed-Force. Why didn't Wally outrun this madness?" His knees now propped up to his elbows Barry hid his face in his hands. "How could this have happened?"

Iris kneeled in front his defeated form and she enclosed her arms around him. This gave the speedster the support he unconsciously needed. "No one wanted this to happen. Unfortunately, it did. You shouldn't beat yourself up. Berating yourself does not help Wally or the others. Get up and keep going. Barry Allen is not a man who stops moving."

Her words of encouragement boosted his feelings; he nodded grinning and chuckled breathlessly, "I told Wally that you were a force to be reckoned with." He pulled Iris to her feet.

She smiled up at him and replied nonchalantly, "Of course I am. I need to compete with the Speed-Force."

Barry leaned down to kiss the woman he loved.

_**YJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJ**_

King Orin watched over his kingdom as the night rolled by. Poseidonis was silent as everyone slept, while darkness signified that it was time for rest. Certain deep sea creatures were beginning to move through the capital, since the lights dimmed making it the preferred time to come and roam the streets.

"My love…" whispered Queen Mera in a soft voice. He turned to her and she continued "…you should rest. Tomorrow you continue your search for Kaldur'ahm." He nodded absently in return and refocused his gaze onto the scenery.

"Dear Mera, do you remember the day we took Kaldur into the family?" his question was random and it startled her.

Mera replied, "Yes, it was one of the happiest days of my life. He was so small for a three year old and quiet. He never made a sound when he followed me into the gardens; I thought he lost the will to speak, but the first two months he was trying to say thank you. My vuerd'ah is really too much." Her voice cracked as she said the word 'vuerd'ah. It meant 'son' and it also had the loose translation of 'my treasure'.

Her teary eyes gazed into Aquaman's blue eyes as she ordered, "I want my vuerd'ah back. Bring Kaldur'ahm back to me, Orin."

He hugged her close and whispered in her ear, "I swear I will, Mera. You will have him back."

Orin shut his eyes shut to hold back his tears.

_**YJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJ**_

Roy Harper glared at his ex-partner, Oliver Queen, and Black Canary who both had their arms folded against their chests. "Explain to me," hissed Red Arrow. "How did this happen _again_?" his voice was breaking under his anger.

Green Arrow replied in his most composed voice, "You don't need me to say it again; you heard the first time, Roy. A man calling himself Nero has kidnapped Artemis and the other Young Justice League and there is no lead for us to follow. J'onn and Superman lost their traces in Quebec and Nero has not made contact yet. All we can do is wait."

Red Arrow continued to glare from under his domino mask. "There has to be _something _for us to follow. Robin has a bunch of transmitters in his suit and belt. There has to be something for us!"

Dinah Lance, or Black Canary stepped in and spoke, "Roy, we all searched for something, _anything_ that could put us back onto the right track, but nothing has surfaced." She pulled the rigid teen into her arms and smiled to herself as she felt his tense posture subside.

"I just feel helpless when I heard Robin and Artemis were kidnapped the first time and now the others have been taken. What have you told Artemis's mom?" he pulled back and turned to face Oliver.

The said archer shrugged and answered, "Dinah called and said that Artemis was with her friend Megan at a slumber party and that she will call when she calls."

Roy huffed out one humorless chuckle. "I bet she loved that answer," he said sarcastically.

Black Canary smirked. "She didn't buy it, but let it go… she knows some of Artemis's past."

There was an awkward silence. Finally Green Arrow stood from his seat at the table. "I say we go back to the house in Constable and check it out once more… maybe we can go through the paper trail and find something we missed.

The three heroes saw this as a long shot, but it offered them something to do; it made them feel less useless.

The two archers and the canary left the shady diner and slipped into an alley to the right of the unofficial condemned building. A moment later, the vague outline of a Justice League Javelin lifted into the night sky and disappeared.

Roy grinned as he said, "I'm just glad I'm _helping_ you now instead of deterring you like last time."

_**YJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJ**_

Superman scanned the city of Quebec for the hundredth time today as he used his x-ray vision to find any trace of the Young Justice League, but true to Black Canary's words, there was nothing.

The Man of Steel has used every enhanced ability he had, but to no anvil. An image of Conner smiling flickered into his mind and Superman shook his head from side to side.

"Come on, Kent… Stay focused!" he chided himself and began circling the city sky again.

His communicator beeped, informing him of a message from Martian Manhunter. "Go ahead, J'onn," Superman said.

His friend's voice sounded loud and clear as he said, "Everyone report to the Watchtower, there has been a development in the case out the missing team."

That one statement breathed action into the leading members of the Justice League.

Batman ran down to the Batcave to put his gloves back on and placed his cowl over his head again. He powered up the teleportation device adjacent to his supercomputer and disappeared.

The Flash ran all the way from Central City to Washington D.C., where the Hall of Justice was from there, and teleported to the Watchtower.

Aquaman shot through the water and ignored the startled fish as he went to the hall of the teleportation device. "Tilk Wunomaetur ii serujei!" he ordered. _"To the Watchtower, now!" _and disappeared into the light.

Black Canary took the Javelin off of autopilot and she switched on the turbo drive in order to break through the atmosphere. From there, the three heroes flew into space to reach the Justice League's real base.

Superman flew higher and higher into Earth's atmosphere until he broke through the last line of boundaries that separated space and Earth. Minutes later, he rushed onto the bridge where everyone was waiting for him.

"What's the news?" he asked semi breathlessly.

J'onn swirled back to facing the large monitor screen as he typed in an order. He spoke, "Ten minutes ago, a video appeared on the internet titled, 'The Test of Mortals'. Everyone thought it was going to be a joke, but it is twisted gift from Nero."

He pressed enter key and a single video window took up the entire monitor panel with bold words that read,

"**WELCOME TO THE TEST OF MORTALS"**

The words were stark white on a black background as Nero's voice spoke out to the viewers. _"Greetings all those who found out about my video. My name is Nero and I shall give everyone on Earth a chance to answer one of life's most puzzling questions. If metahumans did not have their powers, would they be just like you or me, incredibly weak? We shall see, now let me introduce our players of this test!"_

The video showed the six members of the Young Justice League standing side by side as Nero introduced each of them with their ages, talents, and what abilities were taken from them. The Flash banged his fist against the table, as he demanded, "How did this guy get rid of their powers?"

No one replied since Nero began talking about how he cut off each teenage hero from his or her powers. _"Each one of our four helpers has been given a certain kind of drug or device cutting off the connection their brains made with their powers and now comes to fun part."_ An image of a large castle appeared on the screen and a lightning storm was clashing thunder around the imposing fortress.

"_I have taken the liberty of giving the group six chances of proving that maybe there is no difference between a metahuman like Superman and a non-metahuman like Batman. If they win and complete the tasks I will release them and admit I was wrong in thinking that metahumans were the scourge of the Earth and turn myself in to the Justice League. If not, then… we'll see what happens then." _Orin crushed the back of a chair in his hands like it was nothing.

The six teenagers appeared to be standing in the lobby of the castle as Nero said, _"There is a red diamond in this castle and I want it. However, there is a rumor of ghosts protecting it. This keeps it from my grasp and now you six will use this chance to show me that you are all capable to beating this task."_ Aqualad nodded and the group was about to spread up into teams when Nero added, "_A few more things, young heroes."_ They paused and allowed him to continue.

"There are an array of weapons for you to choose from in this large castle, take what you wish, but remember: The Justice League will also be watching this, so keep in mind that you should stay within your own personal heroic boundaries. Good luck and good bye."

Batman, Superman and the rest of the League now felt what true helplessness is, as they were forced to watch what was waiting for their young counterparts.

_"Let the first mission commence!"_

_**YJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJ**_

**Chinese Fairy:** I am so sorry that it took me a long time to update, but I was busy with finals and doing a late spring-cleaning with my family since relatives will be coming to visit soon. Those are just excuses, but nonetheless true. I hope you all forgive me!

Now regarding this chapter, it is the silence before the storm. In the next chapter you will get to see how Nero set this up and what he told the Young Justice Team. Aren't you excited?

I hope you all enjoyed this and please remember to review.

Thank you and take care~


	3. Chapter 3

**In the Place of Mortals**

**Chapter 3**

**Chinese Fairy:** Finally! Cartoon Network and whoever else controls the airtime schedule has gotten off their bums and FINALLY has given us Young Justice back!

**Disclaimer:** As I said in the last chapter, I did not magically inherit the rights to "Young Justice". Everything belongs to the rightful owners: D.C Comics, Warner Bros., and, of course, Cartoon Network! Tralalala~ ignore me!

**Warnings:** This is the usual warning fight scenes, blood, slight torture, curses and obscenities, the uses of chemicals and crazy survival games. This chapter will have occult-like topics and ghost things… Not sure if that needs a warning, but you all know that one such as me (who is paranoid) needs to defend myself! (blushes)

**Chinese Fairy:** Alright, I know there is no real excuse of why I stopped writing Young Justice. I know it was wrong of me, especially since a lot of readers want me to continue. Just so you all know, I will finish this story! No matter how horrible I am I will finish this story. As long as people review, I will keep on writing.

Enjoy~

**YJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJ**

_**In the Place of Mortals**_

_**Chapter 3**_

**YJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJ**

The Justice League stood stagnant for a moment before Green Arrow and Batman were manning the computers. Blue screens showed flickering images of all the castles in the world; starting with European fortresses.

"Can we triangulate satellites to pinpoint and locate where the castle is?" asked Superman as he watched his best friend type in orders furiously through the keyboard. "Scanning now." Replied the Bat. The Flash and Wonder Woman came up from behind the archer and offered their opinions. "How about the foliage? Check to see if any local plants were seen in the outside image and follow up on finding out if they are in certain regions." Piped in the speedster.

"One second," replied Green Arrow; a moment later, a flashing message outlined in red informed him of nothing found. Wonder Woman suggested the mountains in the background and the same dance began all over again. Searching through files, pinpointing from satellites, but nothing fruitful came.

Aquaman and Martian Manhunter turned away from the group; both figures began walking out of the large bridge of the Watchtower, but not before the Atlantean proclaimed, "We shall start the traditional method of searching all of Earth's castles beginning in Europe. We shall contact you if something arises."

The Man of Steel turned to see their retreating forms leaving the room and he wanted to call them back since that particular idea seemed just as farfetched as looking for the needle in the haystack with the haystack being the entire planet Earth. He was about to open his mouth to protest, when Batman cut him off. "Let them go. It's something for them to do." His terse answer would have set off anyone else, but Clark knew Bruce… They both knew how to calm one another down from many things and this was one thing the Kryptonian could clearly see:

"To bring them back into the room with no solid leads or answers would be just as cruel as telling them their search was useless."

**YJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJ**

Despite the disgust the Young Justice League held for Nero pertaining to the child who was ordered to test-taste their food, the feast reminded them of how hungry they were. With no dinner from the night of their mission until now, not to mention being unconscious for at least 24 hours, this meal was a blessing.

Too bad it came from the latest madman that crawled out from under a rock.

Robin picked up his glass of water and took a gulp, "Megan, please tell me that you can hear me… We need to be able to communicate with one another. We have to get out of here." He glanced her way and examined her facial expression for any confirmation that she heard his mental words, but since the female Martian continued eating her brown rice and vegetables, his shoulders sagged in defeat.

Kaldur saw this subtle motion and placed his fork down, "Let us start discussing how we will be conducting the requested missions…" his statement paused everyone mid-meal and after a few moments of awkward silence, Conner spoke, "There is nothing to discuss; just because the four of us lost our powers doesn't change much. We still have strength and we are more agile that you give us credit."

This statement brought the thirteen-year-old into the conversation. "Yes that's true, but remember that you were able to lift a bus and throw it at an enemy. Now you are as strong as maybe a football player. There is a gap we can't ignore." Artemis finished swallowing her spoonful of stew and added, "Not to mention, the speed of KF, telepathic and telekinetic abilities from Miss. M, and Aqualad's loss of powers." She saw how uncomfortable all her teammates seemed at the blunt statement and her tone took on a softer tenor.

"Look, I'm not trying to rub it in, but I'm just reminding all of you that you no longer have your powers. If those ugly neck bracers didn't remind you, I will. Kaldur is right about needing to rethink our normal, 'we can all take care of ourselves' attitude. You will need time to adjust to how different your bodies will feel. I say the group should be split up into two teams; half go with Robin and the other half is with me. Call us mediators."

Megan raised a delicate eyebrow and asked, "Why do you both need to be with each group specifically?" this is where Robin jumped in, "We can observe you and see what tips or options will help you acquaint yourself with your altered bodies. I do not want to rub it in, like Artemis said, and it's not like you are all not capable of doing this… It's just," he paused awkwardly and after a minute, he said quietly, "We don't want any of you getting hurt."

That one statement hung in the air and the Boy Wonder exhaled loudly, "This may be me overanalyzing the situation, but if we are in a battle and the adrenaline is pumping and one of you try to take down someone with an offensive attack that only your Meta-human powers can do, you will endanger yourselves… We want to avoid that." He glanced over at Artemis who nodded in agreement.

The other members of the team took this in and allowed their minds to seep through the new statements and then Wally laughed, "That does sound like you are overanalyzing things, Rob."

Robin and Artemis both glared at the speedster who chuckled nervously before quickly adding, "We may not be as experienced as you or as quick minded of how to adapt to a situation like Artemis, but we are heroes. We will make sure to do this together and individually we will focus on our own problems."

Miss. Martian smiled and added, "I may not have my telepathic abilities, but I can still use a communicator." Aqualad chuckled and said, "I will not have my channeling device, but I still underwent training with weapons. It may take some time to adjust, but perhaps I can learn from you, Artemis, on how to use other weapons." The archer smiled back at him and nodded.

Wally piped in again with the same energy, "I am still fast and react to encounters just as fast. I may be a little more slow than usual," Artemis snorted at this understatement, "but I can still do this!" he quickly swiped the apple from her hand and took a large bite out of the red fruit.

Glaring daggers, the archer picked up another fruit and tucked in, generally ignoring him. Megan turned to Conner who had remained silent for the last few moments. His eyes were trained on the domino mask that hid Dick Grayson's blue eyes and muttered, "Fine, just until we get used to our new bodies."

The tension around them eased and everyone was able to finish their meal on a light note, as light a note as possible under the circumstances.

After the meal, the team moved to sit on the cushioned seats laid out for them. Kaldur took in each teammates face before turning to Artemis and Robin. "Can you two please decide how we will divide the team?" the said heroes glanced at one another before Batman's protégé said, "I was thinking to take Kaldur and Conner… Is that alright with you, Artemis?"

She paused and answered, "I was thinking I would take Aqualad since he uses weapons that I have more knowledge on. You can take Wally and Conner. K.F needs to sharpen his agility and Supes will need someone who is more patient with his… temper." She flashed the clone a grin, "No real offense."

The said teenager shrugged and slouched into the couch next to Megan. Artemis then turned her gaze to M'gann and continued, "I would also like you to be with me so you can start getting acquainted with weapons as well. We can-" the Martian cut her off. "I-I'm not sure if I can use weapons… I mean, I have never really used one before." Kaldur spoke up, "It may be a good chance for you to learn. Artemis is capable of using several long distance weapons that may be similar to your telepathy."

Wally, who was sprawled out on one couch sat up and nodded, "Sure, Meg. You can learn to use the bow and arrow or something… and it's not like we are going to use these weapons to… kill, right?"

That one question stopped everyone from breathing.

"Where did that question come from?" hissed Artemis, the speedster bit his lower lip as he remembered the mission with Manipulus… How in that one moment he was willing to give up everything.

He attempted to click the hammer back, with his thumb fumbling twice before the click was heard. "I know this is not what we, as heroes, do, but a part of me, most of me cannot forgive you, what you did to them was monstrous."

The speedster was willing to throw away everything he had worked to achieve away for the chance to avenge his friends.

Kid Flash kept that scene to himself; only Superman and maybe Batman knew of it. It may not connect with this scenario, but the thought of his friends and him dancing in Nero's hands was unbearable. "I feel just as restless and powerless as then. Even when I had the gun pointed at Manipulus, I thought I was ready to end him, but… I still felt so small." He glanced at his teammates and smiled sadly, "We are powerless right now; literally. We will be using tools and weapons that we would never have thought to pick up before… We have to start thinking differently.

"I'm not saying we will kill anyone, don't think that, but at the same time don't fool yourselves in thinking that weapons are not going to be used to defend ourselves. That's what I meant."

Aqualad let his gaze fall to his hands that were positioned palms up. "I understand… we will have to change the way we look at weapons that we would normally disarm from an enemy." He paused and placed a hand atop of Megan's. "That doesn't mean we have to change ourselves."

Hesitantly, she nodded and smiled, "In order to survive this… I guess we will."

Their time was cut short by a small burst of static from the speakers' overhead as Nero captured all of their attentions. "Greetings Young Justice Team, I am calling you now to inform you of the impending first mission. Please report to hanger one. Paris will lead you there," the little boy, who disappeared after the heroes began eating, reappeared in an all white suite that covered him from neck to feet.

"He shall inform you of what will be expected of you. I hope none of you will fight him or try and question him simply because he states my rules." With that, the line died and Nero was gone.

Paris waited for them by the sliding door and once all six heroes were gathered around him, he stepped back into the hallway from where he came and lead them down another array of halls and turns. After a couple minutes, the ten-year-old boy finally reached an area titled, "Hanger One" by a plaque. He paused his walking once the group made it twenty feet from the door and turned to face them all with the same emotionless face.

"Sir Nero has told me to administer a sedative to you all for the flight to your destination. If you try to resist, I will be forced to call the orderlies from the hospital wing and we will still administer the sedative. Please decide for yourselves right now if that can be avoided." The Young Justice members stood in place, uncomfortable of being threatened by the same child who half an hour ago was someone they wanted to protect.

"It's because these words seem so foreign for this kid to be saying." Reasoned Kid Flash mentally. Aqualad, who was still the team leader nodded and said in response, "Very well. We will not fight or resist you." The youth nodded and turned to walk towards what seemed like nothingness.

A second later, A large plane appeared in front of them. Robin gasped and asked, "Is that a Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk?" Paris glanced back at him and replied, "No, it is a modified version of the stealth jet. Sir Nero acquired it as a gift." Without another word, the boy walked up the ramp and entered the sleek black jet.

The team paused for a moment to take in the massive craft. It was 70 feet in length with a large belly in order to hold cargo or a larger crew other than just the pilot and co-pilot. With the outer skin a shiny black, the windows were clear for the heroes to see the crew prepping for launch. The Atlantean straightened his shoulders as best he could with the shackle around his neck.

"Let us go and finish this horrific mission."

The five other heroes fell into step with their leader as they boarded the jet that would take them to their destination.

Once they all made it on board, the ramp sealed shut and they saw six individual seats welded into the floor of the bird just for them. Paris stood in the center of the plane and gestured for the group to sit. In the front two seats sat Kaldur and M'gann; next was Wally and Artemis, and Conner and Dick took the last row. As they strapped themselves in, Paris moved over to a desk that was also integrated into the plane wall and pulled out a syringe and a small bottle with a clear liquid in it.

"When you come to, you will have arrived at your destination where the mission will commence." Was all the youth said; he stepped close to M'gann and injected into the crook of her arm the sedative.

While he prepped the next syringe for Kaldur, the female Martian's head began lolling to one side as she fell into unconsciousness. Artemis and Wally both sat in their seats wishing to be able to avoid the imminent prison, but knew deep down there was no escape. Aqualad blacked out while the needle was pulled out from Kid Flash's arm and Paris moved to dispose of the dirty needle and to ready another for the team's archer when Robin spoke up,

"Why are you helping Nero? Is it because he is holding you hostage or because he is threatening you? We can help you if you help us escape."

Paris pushed the plunger down on the syringe and the clear liquid entered the heroine's system. The child turned his green eyes to meet the domino mask and replied in a monotone, "Because he is my father and I love him."

Wally and Artemis both fell unconscious as Paris stepped up right next to Robin, "Why do you help Batman?" questioned the boy as he coaxed the Boy Wonder to relax his arm for the needle. Robin saw the tip of the needle inching closer ad closer to his skin as he said, "He is my mentor and I trust him." While the sedative entered his blood stream Paris pulled out the needle and offered the bird a small smile.

"Same answer as mine."

Robin felt his eyelids begin to grow heavy as Conner glared at the medical tool in the child's hands. His hidden blue eyes stared towards his left side as Paris extended his hand for Superboy's elbow; the ex-meta-human remained firmly in his tense posture.

Paris frowned at this and asked, "Are you really going to make this harder for yourself?" there was no tone of superiority or condescending attitude in his question and before Robin faded away, he said, "Don't fight this, Kon…" and his world went black.

**YJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJ**

Six pairs of eyes slowly opened to find their vision blurry and disoriented; Artemis tried to sit up, but reconsidered when her head began to spin. Kid Flash attempted to sit up as well and managed a moment, before he rolled onto his knees and vomited bile.

Robin and Megan sat up without their speedster's setback and tried to take in the room- or maybe entrance hall would be a more fitting term.

The room was in ruins with broken tables, eroded curtains and shattered windows. Fifteen feet from the ground level began the windows that extended for seven feet before ending. This gave Aqualad a view of the outside trees and a mountain in the southeast direction of their location.

Superboy pushed himself off the cold stone floor as he shook his head in an attempt to rid himself of the headache he was feeling. "Where are we?" he growled; Conner wasn't expecting an answer, but saying something allowed the tension in the room to break.

Robin brought up his left arm to chest level and was about to push down on his compact computer, when he remembered it was taken. "This is going to be more interesting…" he sighed as he started walking around the ruins of the entrance hall.

Miss. Martian glanced up at the ceiling and saw three chandeliers, equal distance to one another and they were not fitted with electric wiring.

Artemis turned to see the two stairways that lead deeper into the castle and frowned. "We are on candid camera." She stated and the others followed her line of sight to see the high tech camera mounted onto the wall. On closer inspection, Kid Flash found another one perched on the opposite end of the room.

Suddenly, the room was flooded with artificial lights, a soft orange similar to an open flame. Everyone tensed and converged together in the center of the room.

The same burst of static like the one in the prison wherever Nero kept them, sounded in the hall and their kidnapper spoke in his same excited tone, which left room to question his sanity.

"Good morning, young heroes. I hope you all are coherent enough for the first test that I have prepared for you. There are a lot of things to consider when you allow six heroes to roam free through an entire castle; I even have to prepare the outside grounds in case one of you try to leave. If you try to escape, the entire property surrounding this castle will detonate and with the state you are all in… that would be unfortunate. Please complete this task without giving me trouble."

No one responded, but there was a silent understanding between heroes and villain.

Over the speakers, he clapped hands and said, "Okay, the show starts now!"

Before the heroes could even think of the implications of the statement, spotlights perched outside on the dead lawn illuminated the shell of the castle. The team winced at the sudden burst of light and heard Nero begin speaking again, but this time it was different. It was as if he were talking to an invisible crowd.

"Greetings all those who discovered my video. My name is Nero and I shall give everyone on this Earth a chance to answer one of life's most puzzling questions, 'if Metahumans did not have their powers, would they be just like you or me, incredibly weak'? We shall see, now let me introduce our players of this test!"

A small device mimicking a helicopter flew out from the shadows and perched itself on the partially decrepit table in front of the Young Justice Team. There was a red light behind a large eyepiece that acted as the intake point of the flying camera and then a thought struck each hero.

"He is going to air this so everyone will be able to see…" the horror did not register on their faces, but each teenager subtly reacted.

M'gann folded her arm protectively over her chest.

Kaldur'ahm straightened his already tense pose and took on an indifferent expression.

Wally slipped on his goggles and he turned his body away from the camera, casually looking at the architectural designs of the hall.

Robin took on the standard position; feet planted on the ground, perfectly aligned with his shoulders and his hands resting by his thighs.

Artemis morphed her glare into an almost bored expression, but the camera pod did not miss her hands clenched into fists.

Conner's glare increased and he stepped closer to Robin and M'gann in a protective gesture.

"I am sure you are all wondering who these young heroes are, so as your host, I shall introduce them and what I have done to each Metahuman."

The flying recorder zoomed in on Kaldur and Nero began with him, "This is Aqualad; protégé of Aquaman. He is sixteen-years-old with formidable strength and he was once able to manipulate water and electricity… Not anymore."

He went through each Metahuman on the team and ended with Miss. Martian. "She is also sixteen and had numerous abilities, such as telekinesis, flight, telepathy and other attributes, but as the other three super powered heroes, all her powers have been suppressed."

Artemis, who was standing on Megan's right side, gently grabbed the Martian's hand into her own and gave an encouraging squeeze.

"Each one of our four competitors have been given a certain kind of drug or device cutting off the connection their brains made with their powers and now comes the fun part." Continued Nero and Robin bit the inside of his cheek in anger.

Robin furiously thought, "How can he keep rubbing it in their faces that they no longer have their powers?" but there was no calming sense of Miss. M in his mind. Before, the thought of no one in his mind was a blessing, but now it just seemed lonely without Megan's warm presence in his mind.

The Boy Wonder was pulled out of his thoughts as his kidnapper continued onto the plot of why they were taken. Kid Flash mentally frowned as he pondered on what his Uncle Barry thought of this crazy yahoo's way of thinking.

"I have taken the liberty of giving the group six chances of proving that maybe there is no difference between a Metahuman like Superman and a non-Metahuman like Batman. If they win and complete the tasks I give them, then I will admit I was wrong in thinking that Metahumans were the scourge of the Earth and turn myself in to the Justice League. If not, then… We'll see what happens then."

The lights outside shifted their aim from the castle walls upward and were now directed into the cloudy sky.

"There is a red diamond in this castle that I want, but there is a rumor of ghosts impeding me from procuring it. Now you six will use this chance to show me that you are all capable of beating this task."

Artemis scowled at the mission and her anger and frustration bubbled in her mind. "So much for the, 'I have no schedule that would ask you to compromise yourselves or your beliefs'… He was lying then and now I wonder what else is he lying about…" she felt a scowl take over her expression, so she concentrated on bringing back the bored look onto her face.

Aqualad stepped forward with a nod and was about to start breaking the group into the planned teams, when Nero spoke again, "A few more things, young heroes. There is an array of weapons for you to choose from in this large castle. Take what you wish, but remember: The Justice League will also be watching this, so keep in mind that you should stay within your own personal heroic boundaries. Good luck and good bye."

Their blood ran cold at the thought of the Justice League actually watching them fight for their lives while four of them were now powerless. Superboy glanced in the camera's direction and thought dimly, "I wonder what Superman thinks of a now useless clone." The tone of his thoughts turned bitter.

"Let the first mission commence!"

With that last statement from Nero, the Young Justice League took it upon themselves to start the large search for the jewel that their kidnapper coveted.

Aqualad turned to Robin and Artemis, "First things first: we need weapons and to find a map of the layout of this place. It will do us no good to tire ourselves out searching aimlessly."

The Boy Wonder nodded and turned to Kid Flash and Superboy, "Okay, you two are with me. We will take the left stairway and you guys," he turned to the others, "can take the right. Regarding keeping in contact, we can beat signals into the walls or whistle to inform the other team that we are safe."

Wally grinned and added, "And if we are in trouble, you'll hear us screaming Bloody Mary." Artemis grinned in approval of his sarcastic comment, but Megan winced at the mere mental image.

The team agreed on whistling to stay in contact and the Atlantean quickly taught everyone a three note tune that was easy to remember and even easier to whistle.

"Is this all we can do to keep in contact? What if one team finds the diamond and then run into trouble?" questioned Miss. Martian as her hand brushed against one of the devices that impeded her telepathy.

Robin glanced around the room and stated, "Maybe we should make sure there is nothing for us to use here." He gestured to the hall and the six heroes panned out once more to check every nook and cranny for anything to help.

As a few minutes passed and nothing seemed to emerge, the team was about to regroup when Superboy let out a cry of triumph. Artemis glanced over and saw that the clone of Superman was toppling a table that might actually be a stand for a flower vase. He picked up a manila folder and gave it to their thirteen-year-old tactician. Robin opened it and after scanning it, he summarized the information inside.

"It is a history of this castle, but gives no location…" his tone held a disappointing note, but brightened as he flipped over the single sheet of paper. "A map!" he grinned.

Kid Flash yanked it out of his hands and his green eyes roamed the eight- by eleven-inch paper. "It is an over-simplification, but it's better than free roaming." His right index finger pointed to the stairs as he said, "We can stick to the first plan of each team taking one stairway each. Apparently, they will reconnect at the end of each hallway."

Artemis glanced over his shoulder at the map and questioned, "Is the first floor just a linear corridor?" her tone was of disbelief, but not as angry as she would have thought. The speedster nodded and continued, "Yeah, the first floor is just four hallways connecting as one, but upstairs is a different story. They divide into four wings and each one seems to hold about twelve rooms." He frowned.

"That isn't counting more stairs branching off corridors and the two towers in the north and south wings."

Megan was also looking at the map and then held out her hand, "May I, Wally?" with a dazzling smile, he relinquished the paper and she turned it around to read in full detail the history of this castle.

"It used to belong to a William Kings… a man who worked in the Kaznian Government and-" she gasped in surprise. The others tensed and she turned to Robin, "There was a list of politically immune criminals that we once had to read a report for that one mission in Canada, remember? There were five men from Europe who made Batman's list." Then she paused, her younger friend nodding urgently.

"William Kings, once General Eric Ludwig. He was an advisor for King Gustav during the civil war between the north and south states, but was removed seven years ago because he stole something from the king…" his voice faded and M'gann filled in the last five words, "The Red Diamond of Kaznia."

Kid Flash grinned and said, "I can understand why Rob would know this, but what made you read the report, Meg?" she smiled at his query and stated happily, "I finished reading my cookbooks and had nothing else to read." He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, "Next time ask me for a good comic book."

Crossing her arms, Artemis huffed, "Great, so we are all in Kaznia… What are the odds the League will be able to get here in time to save us?" Robin shrugged and replied in a calculating tone, "Depends on how fast they can locate the castle. I'm not sure it will be that easy since Nero did not give us a time limit and if we assume we have all the time in the world, we can also assume that Nero has made it so the League can't find us."

This observation led the team into a small debate of the "what ifs" and possibilities, so Aqualad reigned in the team and indicated towards the stairs with a nod of his head. "Let us begin the mission. I do not know if we will be timed, but if this is being aired to everyone, the League may be able to find us through Ludwig's paper trail." The others nodded and they ran off.

Megan, Kaldur, and Artemis all took off up the right stairway with the map still clutched in the Martian's hands and the other half of the Young Justice team sprinted up the opposite path. With a possible time limit, they ran down the corridors searching for anything to use to their advantage and nothing panned out.

Kid Flash found a flashlight and Miss. Martian located a letter opener. Nothing helpful was on the first floor, but each team did whistle out the "safe three note" song and after ten minutes of aimless searching, the six heroes reunited in front of the second flight of stairs that would lead them upstairs.

"Anything?" questioned Robin as Wally showed Artemis's team the single flashlight. Aqualad shook his head and held out the letter opener. "There must be something here for us to use since Nero made a big deal about us finding weapons. I doubt he was just bluffing." Said the archer as she leaned against the redwood railing of the stairs.

Megan was about to respond to this statement, but was cut off by something that raised the hairs on the back of everyone's necks; it was a child giggling. They all stared down the hallways they came from in tensed positions. "There is no way in Hell that ghosts exist, right?" the speedster sarcastically asked his friends as he pointed the flashlight down the hallway he came from.

Robin inched close to the first step and replied, "Keep in mind that you were able to control magic a while ago… if you and Dr. Fate can manipulate sorcery, then maybe ghosts can exist as well." The giggles sounded like a little girl's voice, but no one had yet to appear; Artemis exhaled loudly and snapped, "Let's just forget the possibility and get upstairs!"

At the sound of her raised voice, the child's laughter abruptly cut off and after a moment of pause, a shrill, high-pitched shriek echoed through the corridors. "Up the stairs, now!" ordered Aqualad and the others followed without a second thought.

While rushing up the stairs, Superboy growled, "Why are we running? We can take a little girl!" he did not really feel up to the task of picking on a child, but the Kryptonian was angered by the forced retreat; this would have never happened if he had his powers.

Kid Flash glanced over his shoulder and retorted, "We can take a little girl, yes. Not my style, but we can. The only problem is that THAT little girl back there could have been a ghost and last we checked on the crazies report on apparitions, you can't hurt ghosts!"

They continued up the stairs for a few more seconds until they reached the second floor and paused to look at the map.

"Let's start the search for the diamond by looking through Ludwig's study room." Offered Artemis as she asked for the map from Megan. Wally acted as the flashlight holder as he illuminated the parchment. Faded print told the heroes of the study room down the east wing and before the team could move forward, Kaldur spoke, "Perhaps we should split up and check for more items that could be of use to us."

After the shriek from the little girl, everyone was now uneasy to separate, but knew that there was a need to find more supplies. "Alright," Artemis said; the note of reluctance went unmentioned. "Aqualad and I will go down the north wing and see what we find." That was agreed upon the condition of whistling their song every five minutes and they had twenty minutes to look around.

Superboy nudged Robin with his shoulder and muttered, "Maybe we should check the south wing for anything as well. The more people we have looking for things to help us, the better our chances become." Both the archer and protégé of Batman glanced at Wally and Megan, uncertain of the idea of leaving them alone, but the ex-speedster grinned, "No worries guys. We'll go check on the study room and if we do find something, you'll know by my 'woop' or cry of joy."

Miss. Martian offered another tune that was woven together by four notes. It sounded completely different from Aqualad's song, so there was no worry of confusing the messages. Before separating, the said Atlantean offered Kid Flash the letter opener, "You may need it more than we do." The speedster did not argue with the statement.

"Remember, twenty minutes to look around. No going over the limit. If for some odd reason, you can't get back, just let out one high pitch whistle. We'll come looking for you." instructed Robin and once again, the team split up with only two people per group.

After ten minutes of searching through the north wing, Artemis and Aqualad both found what could be viewed as a blessing and curse: a mace and lance. The room they located the weapons in was a billiards room that held a medieval Kaznian suit of armor. They remained three feet away from the warrior's homage and eyed the weapons with an air of hesitance. "This is going to be more different than what we are used to." commented Artemis as she frowned at the lance- spear. She was trained to be able to use any weapon her hands enclosed on, but it staring at the armament did not deter her train of thought.

Aqualad took a small step forward and reached out for the mace. It looked like the same kind of weapon he created with his channeling pack. "It looks the same, but seems... Different." he whispered more to himself than to his partner. Artemis nonetheless, placed a hand on his shoulder and said in a comforting tone, "Whether is it glowing a dim blue light or an imposing metal gloom. There can't be much of a difference."

Nodding absently, Aqualad took the weapon into his grasp and felt the weight difference. "The channeling handle was the only thing I had to hold; the shape of the weapon was water, so it really did not weigh much." His rambling gave Artemis an idea of how he felt. To distract herself, she yanked the lance free from the armor's hold. "I know you could control the distribution of weight and how much power you placed in the water of the channeling weapons, but you can do the same thing here. Go on, give it a few test swings."

Kaldur did as he was told and frowned at the noticeably heavy contrast. "It will take time to adjust, but I suppose this will do." They turned away from the armor when the archer said, "You work out and spar with Supes, you will adjust quickly." These words managed to ease a small smile onto his lips and his tensed form relaxed a little from the mental stress of the last 40 hours.

A high-pitched sound similar to metal protesting under strain ruined the bonding moment as the two heroes froze in place. Another creaking noise overlapped with the initial sound and they slowly turned to see the armor coming to life. It seemed to be staring them down for a few seconds before taking a step towards them; as it moved closer to the pair, a gloved hand rose up as if to strike them, but then continued past the helmet and pulled out from behind itself a large sword. "The thing is moving…" Artemis whispered the understatement of the year. Just as she finished uttering the last word, the suit of armor swung the sword in a downward strike.

They both dodged the attack easily and Artemis took the first form of attack; with a cry, she twirled the lance to point the staff end towards their enemy and drove it into the chest plate. It banged against the metal and the Atlantean whispered, "It is hallow."

The protégé of Green Arrow paled at the thought of the threat looming over the team and herself; "Ghosts, huh?" quickly, she spun the blade back towards the foe and stabbed the five inch blade into the section above the heart. This did not stop the metal ensemble from stepping forward another foot and it even tried to take another swing at her.

Aqualad took the chance with his enemy distracted to swing the mace at the armor and with all his might. Kaldur managed to dent the helmet inward. This seemed to grant them a moment and he turned to grab onto Artemis's upper arm. "Come, we must leave this battle." She turned a sharp gaze to him; her eyes seemed to be calculating the odds of winning and she must have seen an unsatisfying conclusion.

"Right, let's go!" she cried and yanked her weapon free. They left the armor to its own matters of recollecting itself and ran out of the room without another backward glance.

Artemis let out the one tone whistle.

"_We are in trouble." _Rang out through the entire second floor.

**YJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJ**

Green Arrow let out a string of profanity as he stared at the screen. "Is there really NOTHING we can do for them?" he demanded. Black Canary shifted her gaze from her friend's tormented face to glare at Batman. "Have you not yet found that damned castle?" she snapped.

The Dark Knight ignored her angry stare and continued to type away at his keyboard. Images, scrolling summaries, and reports flew by his eyes. "There are two castles that belonged to Eric Ludwig of Kaznia, but one is in ruins and the other has an entire family of twenty-seven living there. I doubt this Nero-person is using either castle."

The Flash, whose right foot was tapping impatiently on the floor of the bridge of the Watchtower finally shot up from his seat and spoke in a strained voice, "What makes you so sure that he didn't kill the family and is just using the castle now?" Superman, who was standing behind his best friend's seat, replied as calmly as possible, "Because that castle is located in the capital of Kaznia with the parliament building across from it. The image of the castle from the video is an isolated structure."

"NO!" roared Aquaman as he stared at the live video feed. This caught everyone's attention; even Batman stopped typing to see what had ripped such a cry of pain from the usually composed King of the Seas.

On the large screen, the Justice League watched in horror as Aqualad shoved a frozen Wally West out of the way and took the blunt side of a sword to his collarbone.

**YJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJ**

After turning seven rooms inside out for any information, Superboy and Robin now found themselves in a sitting room with trophies of animal heads on the wall and shredded leather couches left to decay in the suns rays. The room smelled of mold and stale air, but they continued deeper in with the hope of any promising tools.

Robin searched scattered papers on a dust-covered table for information of where they were, while Conner scowled at a mounted deer head on the wall. "Haven't you found anything yet?" he snapped as the sound of shifting paper was getting on his nerves. The Boy Wonder did not bear his friend any ill will and shook his head. "No, nothing about our location, but there are a couple pages about the Red Diamond." He held one of the pages out to Superboy, who took it in his hands.

His smoldering blue eyes seemed to be staring right through the sheet and thrust it back at the younger hero. "I don't know that the Hell it's talking about." His eyes turned away from Robin and panned around the room again, trying to find something for him to use to kick a poltergeist's ass.

He heard Robin begin speaking, but tuned him out as he found something he could use. It was mounted onto the wall next to a deer's head, but he managed to ignore the disturbing trophy and his hand encircled the hilt of the weapon.

"… According to these papers, the jewel may be somewhere on the third floor- Kon? Conner did you hear me?" the youngest hero of the team finally looked up from his analysis of the piece of paper in his hands and saw that Superboy was not listening to him and in fact, the clone was trying to read something engraved into the sword.

Sighing inaudibly, Robin walked over to stand beside his teammate and said, "That is a Claymore. A type of backsword from the 14th century." He glanced down at the semi-faded words that held the Kryptonian's gaze and murmured the sentence, _"En cas de besoin, je compte sur vous."_

He looked up and saw Superboy's raised eyebrow and felt the silent question of, "What the Hell?" this made the birdie laugh. "It's French; it translates to, 'in time of need, I look to you'. Must've been a family motto." Nodding at the information, Superboy weighed the sword in his hands and said, "It's not as heavy as I thought it would be."

The statement pulled another warm-hearted laugh from Robin and he said, "You may have lost your powers, but you still are a strong person, Conner. Artemis and I never questioned that."

This statement stole the expression of relief from the clone as his face was now marred by a frown. "You could've fooled me." he said gruffly. Robin sighed, this time audibly and he placed a gloved hand on Superboy's lower arm. "We never questioned that. We know you are still strong. Not strong enough to lift a car, like before, but like I said, I don't want any of you getting hurt. Don't mistake my worrying as superiority." Scolded the bird and he turned away from Superboy to pick up the two pages.

Superboy was not given the chance to respond, because right then, they both heard the high pitched whistle that came from one of the other two-person teams. "Artemis…!" whispered Robin and they both shot out of the room towards the north wing. As the two neared the said wing, they met up with Wally and Megan; the latter was clutching a leather cylinder case in her hands.

"Come on, Artemis and Kaldur are in trouble!" ushered Kid Flash and they sprinted down the hall. They heard the clashing of metal against metal and turned the corner to see Artemis losing her footing as a suit of armor overpowered her hold on a lance. Aqualad lifted his mace over his head and brought it down on the left arm of the puppet-like enemy. This move saved the archer's skull from being crushed and she back flipped out of the way.

Miss. Martian ran over to her friend's side and asked breathlessly, "Are you alright, Artemis?" the said archer nodded and winced as her hands released the spear. Robin saw this and ran up to the two. "I'm going to borrow this," he said quickly and without waiting for a reply, he picked up the staffed weapon and charged towards the armor.

Wally raced over to the girls while Superboy joined the Boy Wonder and the Atlantean in the fight. "Come on, let's get you both out of the fight zone." He urged and supported Artemis's left side, while Megan took up the right. They managed to get fifteen feet from the brawl when a sound echoed through the hallway. Kid Flash turned around to see if the sound came from the battle behind him, but it did not.

He turned to face the other end of the corridor that lead to the stairway and froze in place when he heard it again. The archer and Martian must have heard it as well, because they paused to make sure they heard right. In the shadows, ahead of them, the trio saw something moving and after a few seconds of waiting, the noisemaker appeared.

Another suite of armor was stomping its way towards them and it caused Wally to shout. "Damn it!" he released his hold of Artemis and made Miss. Martian hold their winded ally. "Stay here!" he said and he pulled out the letter opener from his boot. A protest was just escaping Artemis's lips as the teenager temporarily lacking the Speed Force ran towards his enemy without hesitation.

The suit of armor saw the oncoming enemy and raised his weapon over his head. A small part of Wally's mind recognized that it was a sledgehammer-like armament and grinned. He sprinted forward without hesitation and as the hammer was barreling down towards him, Kid Flash slid under the bulky antagonist, jumped up and with a strong downward thrust, he plunged the dulled knife into the armor plating protecting the neck. This caused the armor to pause its advancement and Artemis turned to the three boys still battling the first enemy.

"Guys, let's get out of here!" she nearly screamed; Aqualad paused mid-step towards the armor and finally caught sight of the second suit. Nodding, he slammed the pointed sphere of his weapon into the side of the torso plating and pulled on Robin's cape. "Let us leave this battle!" he said in a hurried tone.

Robin did not offer any resistance and retreated to where the three members were standing. Aqualad grabbed hold of the crook of Conner's arm and tugged him to follow. At first, Superboy tried to break free from Kaldur's hold, but after a cry of surprise from Megan, he turned and retreated with his leader to where the group was waiting.

The Boy Wonder ran at full speed in the direction of the second enemy and with one step, he jumped into the air and used the momentum to propel his lance deeper into his enemy's helmet. It was the visor, the opening allowing the warrior inside of the armor to see his surroundings. As if it had already been predetermined, the armor finally crumpled to the floor in a heap.

"Don't stop!" commanded Miss. Martian as she ran up the flight of stairs that connected the second floor to the third. Since Wally followed her without question, so did the others. As they skipped every other step, Kid Flash shouted over his shoulder, "We found a clue that could lead us to the Red Diamond!"

Taking a sharp turn without pause, Robin continued up the stairs and responded, "What does it say?" Miss. Martian was the one who answered his question, "'Where all our predecessors keep their shame hidden is where I buried the bane of my life as well'." Finally, they reached the third floor, which seemed to be devoid of any other suits of armor.

Wally took in quick breaths, but managed to ask in a smug voice, "Where do people keep belongings that they don't want to see all the time?"

Smirking, Robin said, "In the attic!"

They began the trek up two more flights of stairs to where the finish line of the mission was waiting for them.

**YJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJ**

The Young Justice League reached the fifth floor winded, but still on their feet. Without allowing themselves a break from all the running, Megan pulled out the map of the castle and once again Kid Flash whipped out the flashlight from his person and brought the object to life.

"Okay, there should be a broom closet that leads up to the attic. It should be in the west wing, right by the fourth room." Reported the female Martian as she indicated the place with her index finger. Nodding in mutual agreement, the team broke off into another run towards the west wing and after a few seconds, they appeared right in front of the said closet doorway. Artemis took a step forward and pulled out a bobby hairpin from her blond locks.

She inserted the two points of the pin into the lock and shimmied it back and forth with her fingers acting as the pivot point. A minute passed before the lock undid itself and she turned to her team with a smirk.

"Let's get up there, get the diamond, and get out." Said Robin and no one disagreed with the presented sentiment. He opened the door; it opened without protest and they disappeared from view of the fifth floor. Since the Boy of Steel did not have his acute hearing, no one heard the faint footfalls of more oncoming suits of armor following the team from downstairs to the fifth floor and then to the attic where there was no exit.

**YJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJ**

When they reached the wide area noted on the map, Kid Flash pulled out the flashlight and partially illuminated the musty area. Artemis took a step towards some boxes piled on one another and asked, "So, where did you find the clue?" opening the top box, she scanned the discarded items with a bored look and continued on.

The Speedster was opening an old chest that was pressed against the wall when he said, "In the study room, in one of the drawers to Ludwig's desk…" his voice faded as he thought of something odd. "Hey Megs," he called out to the Martian who was shuffling through a wardrobe filled with moth eaten clothing. She glanced over her shoulder to indicate she was listening.

"Do you remember the coat of arms behind the desk on the wall?" his random question caught Miss. Martian's attention and she walked over to her friend's side. "Yes, it had a Chimera and a snake entwined around a white rose."

The others were only partially listening to their conversation; Aqualad rummaged through another tower of boxes, Superboy was scanning a stack of paper on an abandoned desk, Robin was tapping on the farthest wall in hopes for a hollow section, and Artemis was shifting the gaudy objects of the Ludwig family.

Kid Flash pulled something out of the chest he was kneeling by and blew off a layer of dust from what looked like a shield. "Then why does this shield have the same coat of arms like the study, but underneath is the words, 'under one family, the family of Asergoth'?"

Robin suddenly turned and ran over to his friend, who was showing off the shield. "Because that is the Asergoth's family coat of arms… That is not the Ludwig's." the realization dawned on the three. "We are not in Kaznia…"

Superboy, who like the others was only partially listening up until now, turned to his teammates with wide eyes. "We're not in the Ludwig castle of Kaznia?" he echoed the words in a question and when Robin nodded he turned to face the old desk and overturned it in anger. Artemis abandoned her search and stepped closer to the Martian. "Are we sure that this is true? How can we truly verify this?" her questions were fueled by the meager hope that this was not just a wild goose chase created by Nero.

"Well for one thing, if I had actually paid attention to the outside of the castle, this would be the wrong kind of weather for Kaznia since their springs are usually more humid than this. Look," he pointed to a dusty window and sure enough, there was a downpour of rain. "It only rains in Kaznia from November to February. That's why it has such high tourist rates. The weather is perfect most of the year."

Artemis wanted to lash out like Superboy, but she held in her anger and grounded out, "So we just spent god knows how long searching through this castle for something that isn't here?"

"Not quite," spoke Aqualad, who had remained silent up until now. They all turned to him and saw what had held his attention for so long. He was standing in front of a wooden casket with a small single rectangular window at eye view to see inside. The others crowded around the said object and once Wally shined the flashlight into the coffer, they all saw the dazzling Red Diamond of Kaznia.

"Well, I'll be damned." Chuckled Artemis, the others felt their bodies losing the mounted tension that threatened to shatter their minds a few seconds ago and just savored the moment of finding the damn jewel.

"Let's get it out and call this mission complete." Said Miss. Martian, but Aqualad held up a hand. "We are going to have to break it open." His simple statement had Kid Flash laughing until the said speedster saw that his leader was not sharing his sentiment. "Wait, you're serious?" piped Wally.

Artemis and Megan checked the sides and found no latch, no lock, nothing to open the casket.

"Then let's break it open!" shouted Conner angrily as he swung his sword into the side of the case and caused the wood to splinter. Another childlike high-pitched scream rang through the entire castle and suddenly thunderous steps echoed from the fifth floor. "They're coming!" shouted Robin as he readied the spear in his hands for battle.

Megan picked up the shield that Wally found and stood beside Aqualad who was tightening his grip on the mace. Superboy did not turn from his job of hacking away at the casket and Artemis's eyes darted around the room until she spotted something partially hidden under a sheet: a cross bow.

"Superboy when you get tired, let Kid Flash take over." Ordered the Atlantean; Conner wanted to shoot him a glare, but didn't respond; he was starting to get a little breathless and blamed it on Nero for taking away his powers with the stupid collar!

The first suit of armor bounded into the room and Robin was the first to charge at it. He swiped the weapon at the armor's side and made it stumble. The second and third enemy rushed towards Artemis and Megan; the archer was not deterred by the oncoming enemy and easily aimed the bow at the helmet and fired. The arrow found itself lodged in the visor and one of the suits of armor fell into a heap of metal.

Smirking, she called out to Robin and Kaldur, "Aim for the heads!" Aqualad jumped in to push back the second enemy trying to attack Miss. Martian and faintly recalled Robin's lance silencing the first enemy from downstairs by stabbing it in the helmet area.

Three more enemies entered the large attic and now the Young Justice team found themselves fighting off the wave of adversaries while Conner and Wally kept trading off to break into the casket. A startled cry came from Miss. Martian as she was pushed to the floor by a blow from a red and silver suit of armor.

Kid Flash saw this and also noticed that the rest of the team was busy taking down an enemy, so he did something impulsive: he ran to his teammate's side and picked up her discarded shield. "Hey ugly! Pick on someone your own size!" he taunted; this seemed to catch the armor's attention, as it forgot about M'gann and started to chase Wally. He dodged a swing of the short bladed sword and exclaimed, "I said pick on someone your own size! I'm a head shorter than you!" he easily dodged another side swing of the possessed enemy and glanced over his shoulder. It was still slow, even for Wally West, the Fastest Boy Alive.

His moment of smugness caused him to trip over the armor that Artemis took down. He fell to the floor and watched in horror as the shield flew out of his hands and under a wardrobe. He whipped around to see the suit of armor standing over him poised to attack. _"I'm so dead!"_ his mind screamed.

Instead of feeling the sword strike him from above, the Speedster felt something ram into his side and he tumbled out of the way of the enemy's attack. He grunted in pain as his back impacted with a pile of boxes, but managed to open his eyes to see what had shoved him out of the way. Wally's blood ran ice cold.

Kaldur'ahm must have seen his impending doom and ran over to save him. In that one second, the said Atlantean moved him out of the way, but couldn't save himself from the sword as it struck his collarbone.

"K-KALDUR!" shouted the protégé of the Flash. The said Atlantean slumped to the ground and did not respond. Robin and Artemis both saw the encounter and quickly finished off their opponents. The lance dug into the right side of the helmet and another arrow found its mark in an opening where eyes would look out.

Swiftly, they both ran towards the last suit of armor and just as the Boy Wonder drove the five inch blade into the back of the helmet, Artemis shot her last two arrows into the side of the head gear. Just like the other five suits of armor, this one fell as well. Panting from all the exertion, the two non-Metahumans looked around the room to find all adversaries defeated. Wally ran to Kaldur's side and pulled the unconscious form into his arms.

His frantic green eyes scanned for blood or injury that may have incurred and let out a whimper as he saw the slight protrusion of the Atlantean's collarbone pressing against the skin, but it did not break through. "It's broken!" He cried out; tears were forming in his eyes. _"Not again! Don't let me fail one of my friends again!"_ his mind chanted the same thing over and over again as Robin ripped his cape into strips of bandages and propped Aqualad's arm against his own chest. "It didn't break skin, it's not a severe break. We can put it in a sling and have Nero treat his injury!" the young hero quickly fashioned a sling and gently placed his leader's arm into his makeshift treatment.

This would hold for now, but had to leave soon. _"The internal damage can't be judged!" _cursed Robin and he turned to face Superboy and Megan. "Did you guys get the diamond yet?" his voice reflected a small percentage of the pain he felt.

Conner's reply was three more strikes to the side of the casket and after those attacks, the frail protection splintered and wood gave way into chips, allowing Miss. Martian to pick up the diamond from the wreckage. Artemis saw her friend's hand enclose on the jewel and turned to shout at the ceiling, "We have your stupid red diamond! Get us out of here now!" her voice cracked at the last word and she slumped to the floor next to Wally and Robin.

The crackling of static was heard in the attic as Nero came forth to speak to his captives. _"Excellent! A true job well done! I am pleased to announce to everyone that you have passed the first test with only one injury to show for it!"_ the same twisted, excited tone had Superboy and Artemis grounding their teeth in a poor attempt to not curse the man out.

"Can you please help him? He is injured and we don't know if there are more injuries internally!" pleaded M'gann and this caused Nero to pause his fawning. _"… Yes, you are quite right. I shall have you all collected and returned home at once. He will receive the best of care."_

None of the young heroes humored themselves by thinking "home" meant Mount Justice, so they remained in their stagnant positions until Robin heard something. A hissing of some sort caught his attention and he glanced at the walls to see smoke filling the air.

"Knock out gas!" he shouted and the others moved closer to one another. The youngest hero took the remains of his cape and gave clumps of it as something for the others to cover their mouths with, but it didn't work. In the span of a few minutes, they all fell into unconsciousness.

**YJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJ**

The screen in the Watchtower faded to black with the prone bodies of their protégés as the last image, but Nero spoke again. _"I hope you all thought it was an exciting mission and I pray that you will tune in for the next task that will bring the Young Justice Team a step closer to being free from 'The Test of Mortals' and be able to return to the light."_

That was the end of the feed and of the torment. Aquaman stood rigid in front of the screen and hadn't moved since Aqualad was injured; no one dared move close to him in fear of him snapping. The Flash, Green Arrow, and Martian Manhunter all stood silent; allowing their minds to wander over the thousands of things they wanted to know.

Will Nero actually tend to their injuries? Does he have the means to attend to a clavicle break? Will the Young Justice team be able to take the pressure?

Batman stood up from his seat and stalked off to the zeta-beam teleportation level. None of the other moved to stop him or question him; they were still frozen in place by the horror of witnessing their protégés handling such a task without their powers, without any silver lining of a cloud, and without the Justice League's help.

The Dark Knight stomped into the teleportation room and one glare towards the two people manning the station informed them to get lost. As they scurried out of the room, he moved to the console that controlled where to send someone and typed in longitude and latitude. He stepped onto the platform and waited to be sent to his desired destination.

"Recognized Batman 02," stated the computerized female voice and she then stated his destination, "S.T.A.R Labs, branch 09, Austin, Texas."

Batman scowled as he disappeared in the light and his last thought was, _"I need to go visit the one man who knows about 'The Light'."_ And he was gone.

**YJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJ**

**Chinese Fairy:** Whew! I'm finally done with the chapter! There is a lump of guilt in my gut for not updating in… (Checks on last update) ouch, since May. So, in repentance, I made the chapter longer and hope it will sate some of you until the next chapter is posted. I already started writing it, so please don't worry! And if you are a little confused by the last scene with Batman, don't worry; the next chapter will fill in the blanks! Thank my Mei mei for helping me edit, otherwise you guys would have seen a lot of "capee"s and "cape" puns. She says my computer is playing on bad puns.

Thank you all for reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please excuse any errors I may have made! Don't forget to review!

Take care~


	4. Chapter 4

**In the Place of Mortals**

**Chapter 4**

**Chinese Fairy:** Another chapter, another adventure and maybe I'll finally get off my bum to update my stories.

**Disclaimer:** As I said in the last chapter, I did not magically inherit the rights to "Young Justice". Everything belongs to the rightful owners: D.C Comics, Warner Bros., and, of course, Cartoon Network! Tralalala~ ignore me!

**Warnings:** This is the usual warning fight scenes, blood, slight torture, curses and obscenities, the uses of chemicals and crazy survival games. This chapter will have occult-like topics and ghost things… Not sure if that needs a warning, but you all know that one such as me (who is paranoid) needs to defend myself! (blushes)

**Chinese Fairy: **Go read chapter, it's more interesting than me!

_**YJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJ**_

**In the Place of Mortals**

**Chapter 4**

_**YJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJ**_

In the history of S.T.A.R Labs, there have been sixteen branches scattered across the United States; over the years, two have been retired and another was destroyed in the fight with Blockbuster and four of the Young Justice League.

From that fight stemmed the creation of the Young Justice team and the incarceration of Blockbuster, also known as Doctor Mark Desmond. The said criminal was taken to New Troy Island for temporarily housing. A month later, he was transferred to the S.T.A.R Labs in Austin, Texas where the scientists specialized in A.I., genetics and Metahuman studies. He underwent several attempts to return him to his human form, but none of the tests had proven fruitful, however, the scientists managed to restore Desmond's ability to speak.

Of course, after the doctor confirmed this for himself, he took a vow of silence since the ability was restored, but today, Batman planned to change that.

Branch 09 of S.T.A.R Labs was three stories high and it boasted an office building-like façade, which kept villains and other maniacs away from its premises.

The Dark Knight appeared in front of the specified laboratory and walked in without speaking to the receptionist located behind the desk in the lobby. She pushed her glasses higher onto the bridge of her nose to make sure she was really seeing Batman stroll into the building like any other employee and sat shell-shocked as he entered an elevator and he disappeared from sight.

When the doors slid shut, he pulled out of his utility belt a white card with a single black line of a barcode and slid it through an almost unnoticeable panel below the other button imbedded in the right side of the elevator. On the left side of the doors, three columns of buttons appeared, all titled floors, and a "B" indicating basement levels.

His gloved index finger pressed down on the button "B15" and stood ramrod still until the doors reopened to his desired destination. Batman stepped out and walked into an eggshell white painted hallway that had doors lining both walls of the corridor. His silent steps granted him a moment of peace as his mind continued reeling over what he and the League had witnessed only five minutes ago.

_Kid Flash slid under the bulky enemy, jumped up and, with a strong downward thrust, he plunged the dulled knife into the armor plating protecting the neck._

_The Boy Wonder ran at full speed in the direction of the second enemy and with one step, he jumped into the air and used the momentum to propel his lance deeper into his enemy's helmet._

_The archer was not deterred by the oncoming enemy and easily aimed the bow at the helmet and fired._

_Superboy joined the Boy Wonder and the Atlantean in the fight._

_The said Atlantean moved him out of the way, but couldn't save himself from the sword as it struck his collarbone._

_Miss. Martian picked up the diamond from the wreckage._

_"Knock out gas!" Robin shouted and the others moved closer to one another. The youngest hero took the remains of his cape and tore clumps of it as something for the others to cover their mouths with, but it didn't work. In the span of a few minutes, they all fell into unconsciousness._

All of these memories were repeated in the amount of time it took the Bat to walk all the way down the hallway and reach the door opposite of the elevator. He punched in a five-digit code and was allowed access to the room. The first thing he saw from the doorway was a wall of four inch thick bulletproof glass. On his right was a metal desk that sat a hunched form, who was typing away on a keyboard.

He quietly made his way over to the man's side and spoke in his gruff voice, "Dr. Andrew Weiling," This caused the man to jump in his seat and when the man turned to face the Dark Knight his eyes were as wide as saucers.

Pale golden hair, which dangled limply against a forehead with greenhorn glasses outlining wide gray-blue eyes. The man took a moment to recollect himself before grinning, "You have to stop doing that, if you keep this up, I'm not going to make it to my 30th birthday."

He sighed and turned the swivel chair to face his guest. "You haven't come around since Desmond got his voice back. Too bad he doesn't feel like talking to you or your Justice League. He doesn't even want to talk to me; I'm starting to take it personally…" Shrugging, Dr. Andrew Weiling stood from his seat and took a step towards the glass wall.

"He doesn't talk to anyone, but he says things that keeps his voice box from falling into disuse." commented the man as he stared at the large bulky figure that was once Professor Mark Desmond. The Blockbuster creature was sitting on the white tile floor reading a book that seemed comically small in his hands.

Clearing his throat, Weiling pushed a button on the intercom located on his side of the glass wall and spoke, "Good afternoon Professor Desmond, you have a visitor today."

The being did not even glance up.

Exhaling, Dr. Weiling turned away from his patient and gave Batman a sympathetic look. "Hasn't changed from the last two months." Finally, the Dark Knight spoke, "I need him to talk; especially about the Light." Those words acted like a lightning bolt striking Desmond, because the giant looked over to the vigilante with hatred burning in those black orb eyes.

Weiling saw this movement as a breakthrough; smiling, he turned to Batman and asked quickly, "What is the 'Light'?" his eyes were now shimmering with a possible challenge for himself.

Ignoring the enthusiastic man beside him, Batman stepped closer to the glass wall and continued, "While you awaited your transfer in New Troy Island, you had a visit from Martian Manhunter. When he scanned your mind, he made out one thing you kept repeating, 'No one can stop the Light'… that is what you kept thinking about. Now tell me, what is the Light?"

This brought a chuckle from the monster's lips, then after a few moments a deep rumbling laughter echoed off the cell walls, which in turn, made Dr. Weiling aim a nervous look between villain and hero. When the mocking laughter died down, Blockbuster said, "The Light is the essence that will shine onto everyone and anything. Whatever you are facing now, the Light will envelop its intended target."

Scowling, Batman weighed his options: either ignore everything the League stands for and make the asshole in front of him talk, or go through the never ending channels until he could arrange an appointment where he could administer a truth serum to Desmond.

His Justice League communicator beeping to life cut off his near sadistic thoughts. His scowl deepened as he pressed against the earpiece in the right side of his cowl. "What is it?" he growled out. Weiling didn't pay Batman any attention, clutching a pen tightly in his left hand while writing down everything that just transpired between his patient and the vigilante.

Blockbuster was still smirking at him.

Superman's voice was heard through the com. "You need to get back here; now. Nero has something special for us to see." The Kryptonian's words made the Dark Knight's form rigid as replied coldly, "I'll be at the zeta-beam point in a minute." Without turning to either doctor or patient, he stalked out of the room and left without a backwards glance.

_**YJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJ**_

When Batman returned to the Watchtower, he saw that only Superman was in the transport room with a pale face.

"What is the emergency?" when he asked this, the Dark Knight's voice has returned to his indifferent tone and his expression took on his infamous poker face. Superman frowned at the keyboard in front of him and without answering his friend's question, he stood from one of the seats and walked out of the room. Neither spoke until they reached the bridge of their space station.

"After the video concluded, the link to the site shut down and there was no way we could track it. Ten minutes after you left, J'onn received an e-mail from an untraceable account, it had a one and a half minute video attached to it." The two of them walked over to stand with the other League members who were crowding behind Martian Manhunter. The said Martian sensed the arrival of both founding heroes and spoke, "I attempted to track the ISP address, with no results. I then tried to track the location or general area of the sender and owner of the e-mail address, but nothing has proven fruitful. We have also not seen what is in the video."

Nodding, Batman motioned that he was ready and the green-skinned hero clicked play. The media file came to life and no one was surprised when Nero's voice was heard with only the bold print of "Nero" to be seen.

"Good morning Justice League. I am just sending you a message regarding your… Teenage troupe and I wanted you all to know that they are going to be just fine. Like I told them, they will be properly tended to by the best doctors I could hire." The voice sighed and there was a distinct sound of shuffling papers.

"I know you all may be feeling a little hostile towards me, but you need to understand: I need this; everyone in the world needs this. We need to all accept that you all are not as different from us in the sense that none of you are perfect.

"Then it just comes down to me not agreeing with the poor idiots in the world who can easily put more faith in Superman than Batman… Unfortunately, no one would really understand that, but enough about me!" his voice took on a lighter note, which had Batman grounding his teeth.

"I understand that the young man, Aqualad, has received an injury to his clavicle," this had Aquaman glaring at the screen with only a chair in his grasp to crush instead of Nero's neck. "I just wanted you to all know that I will make sure he receives the best of care and wondering if he has a higher cellular restoration gift in him. If so, then my idea will ensure he will recover just in time for the next round in our test. Until then, you all will have to wait five hours. In case you all need a reminder of time, here is my gift to you."

Red numbers replaced Nero's name and it was counting down from five hours, 34 minutes, and 49 seconds. "When this timer finishes its countdown, a link will appear for you to click on. I hope this will show you all that though I have kidnapped your teenagers, I still will treat them respectfully." With that, the audio shut off and all the League had to stare at was numbers now reading off

"5:33:01"

Not only was he tormenting them by dangling the younger heroes in front of them, but he was also whispering in their ears; saying, "Look what I can do to your Young Justice League and there is nothing you can do to save them."

_**YJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJ**_

With nothing else but to wait for the time limit to shrink away to zero, the Justice League took this as a moment of forced rest. The Flash returned to Central City where a worried Iris Allen was waiting for news about her nephew. He was beamed down to Washington D.C to the Hall of Justice and he ran the rest of the way home; this was a chance to burn off his anxiety.

What would normally take a plane three hours and thirty minutes, takes the Fastest Man Alive mere minutes. When Barry Allen arrived at the doorsteps to his home, his restlessness had not waned and his shoulders still slumped in defeat. Slowly, _painfully so,_ he trudged up the steps and heard his wife open the door for him. He didn't look up, but felt Iris's arms encircle him and, like something jolting him out of his daze, Barry clung onto her lithe form.

He didn't speak, so she whispered, "I… I saw the video…" his grasp on her tensed for a moment and he replied hoarsely, "I just can't believe this is what is going to happen to him… There's nothing I can do for him." Gently, she pulled back enough to press her lips to his.

He didn't respond to her kiss.

Concerned for her husband, Iris pulled the red cowl from his head and cupped his face into her hands. "Barry, you can't blame yourself for this. I thought we had this discussion before. I-I know that this is hard for all of us to watch these videos, but maybe something in them can give us a way of knowing where they are."

Once again, Barry did not respond.

Iris now lightly glared at her husband and huffed, "What would Wally say if he saw you like this?" her question brought confusion to his face and he locked eye contact with her. "What…?" he asked.

Smiling, she repeated the question. The speedster took a moment to think about the query and process the answer before he replied, "He would tease and laugh at me for being out of character…" he smiled sadly, "and he would joke and say that if I am going to be like this, then I should let him be 'the Flash'…" green eyes began watering. Barry left out a small sob as he finished answering her question, "He wouldn't like seeing me like this."

The tears escaped his eyes and he huddled into Iris's arms. There he was allowed to cry. In her arms he could pour out all his pain, frustration, and helplessness that not even the League was allowed to see.

_**YJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJ**_

An explosive arrow flew from the nook of a bow and imbedded itself into the opposite wall before detonating and crumbling the concrete foundation of the room to rubble. Red Arrow was glaring daggers at anything his eyes found and soon returned to the same red numbers that were presented to the Watchtower.

Red Arrow glanced around the room in frustration. Surrounding him was a condemned building that was acting as his temporary base until he finished scanning all possible leads on where his friends were being held. Since their kidnapping, all searches had given him nothing. _"The League couldn't find anything, why should I have any luck…?"_

He scowled.

"_I may not be part of the League, but I can still see the things they do thanks to Ollie…"_ his thoughts continued in a downward spiral as he faintly recalled all of the things that happened to Artemis and the team. He ran a hand through his short-cropped hair. _"I wonder how Ollie and Dinah are holding up?"_ a curse slipped past his lips and Roy slumped against his wall and into a sitting position onto the cold floor.

"I would have never imagined you to be a whiner."

The female voice snapped him out of his thoughts and in an instant Roy slid another arrow into the nook and turned to face the blade only inches away from his face. Poised above him was the person who both intrigued and annoyed the hell out of him: Cheshire.

Her white and red mask displayed no expression, hidden by her Cheshire grin, but immediately, Red Arrow felt something was off with the female assassin. He glanced down at her katana, still poised too close for comfort by his face and spoke, "What are you doing here?"

His question did not emit a response from her; a minute ticked passed, and when the two minute mark was about to elapse, she replied, "Why are you hiding in this old abandoned dirt heap when you could've found a better place to crash? I thought being BFFs with Green Arrow would give you some advantages."

These words made Red Arrow tighten his jaw out of reflex and he grounded out, "I'm not his sidekick or best friend. I chose here in case someone tried to follow me to one of my safe houses; good thing too. Now answer my question: what are you doing here?" In a risky sign of good faith, he dropped the arrow from its place perched on his bow and waited for Cheshire's next move.

Behind her mask, a delicate eyebrow rose and she allowed a soft mocking laugh to waft from her lips. Her sword was retracted into its compact form and she placed it back into its hiding spot, "I heard about what happened to your sidekick friends and thought I would pop in to see how you were coping. Ergo, you are such a whiner." Roy was tempted to pick up his neglected arrow, but she turned her back to him.

_"Either she's that cocky or that crazy…"_ his thoughts were once again cut off by another action from her. She turned to his laptop and stared in the general direction of the red numbers. "I guess you have to be a good guy to get the numbers slapped in your face." His patience was now wearing thin. Red Arrow stood up quickly from his spot on the floor, which made Cheshire tense slightly, and he shouted, "If you're here just to mess with me, I'll haul your ass off to jail right now!"

Cheshire's toying demeanor disappeared as she turned her form to face him. "… I was wondering if you had any leads regarding their disappearance." This brought a harsh chuckle from the archer's lips and he asked between breaths, "You wanna know what the kids are up to?" he glared, "Not really your cup of tea."

She rested her fists against her hips in annoyance and retorted, "That is your forte, whiner, I'm here wondering how long you were going to wallow in self pity before getting on your feet to go and search for someone who can help give you a clue." Her words had his expression morphing into confusion.

"If the League can't find any clues to follow, what makes you think I can?" he folded his arms over his chest; she smirked behind her mask. _"A pose for defending one's mental position…"_ she purred inwardly.

Taking two steps forward towards him, Cheshire stated in a nonchalant tone, "You got me. I can take you to someone who can possibly help." Now his body resumed his rigid posture and moved to pull an arrow from his quiver. She didn't respond to his action and stood there casually while the point of an arrow was directed at her mask.

"What makes you think that I would believe or trust anything you have to offer?" his words were hissed out in restrained anger. Continuing her casual attitude, the assassin shrugged her shoulders and said in an almost bored manner, "That guy, Nero, has something that holds a small value to me. I wanna ensure he doesn't keep it." She let out a small huff, "We have the same enemy and I'm not working at the moment. Call this a personal mission."

He eyed her skeptically. She smiled, similar to her favored Cheshire cat, "Fine, if you don't want to work with me on this mutual errand, then I'll go myself." She once again turned her back on him and began walking away. _"Three, two, one…"_ she counted down in her mind and before she could reach zero, Roy spoke up, "Wait,"

Leisurely turning to face the archer, Cheshire waited from him to continue, "Let's get one thing straight, I don't trust you; I don't want to have anything to do with you, but if you have some information that could help me find my friends… then we'll work together on this." Cheshire grinned from behind her mask and offered him her hand, "It's a deal."

To her surprise, Red Arrow took her hand into his larger one and pulled her close, so close that his nose almost touched her mask, "I'm going to say this once, you betray me and anything happens to them because of it, and I'll hunt you to the ends of the Earth." She tilted her mask forward until her grinning teeth were pressed to his lips, "As lovely as you promising to become my new stalker sounds, I will do my best not to back stab you."

She pulled her hand back and glanced down to his laptop. "You're going to need that. Do you have a mode of transportation, or should I acquire one?" he frowned at her suggestion, "I have a jet parked outside." His response had her walking towards a general exit with him following her, his bow tucked in its place and his laptop tucked in his right arm.

"So, where are we going?" his question paused her mid-step and Cheshire glanced over her shoulder, "We're going to Japan."

As she continued sauntering towards his plane, he thought one thing he really wanted to voice out loud, _"What the Hell?"_

_**YJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJ**_

The Bat Cave, which was usually a dank, dimmed setting by the lacking presence of light, brightened momentarily as the zeta-beam transportation flickered to life and Batman stepped away from the device and entered his grotto. Before he had the chance to remove his cowl, his white lens zeroed in on the supercomputer embedded in the opposite wall and paled when he saw those haunting red numbers taunting his third son, Timothy "Drake" Wayne.

The five-year-old boy was perched on Bruce's swivel chair with a spare Bat-cape being used as a blanket. Tim did not seem to notice the arrival of his father as he continued staring at the numbers now reading,

"4:23:19"

Quietly, the Dark Knight pulled off his gloves and dropped them onto a cart filled with medical supplies. He walked over to where Tim was sitting with his knees drawn up to his chest and the cape clutched tightly in those little hands. Sighing inaudibly, he pulled off his cowl and Bruce Wayne spoke, "Tim," he whispered the name softly, but it caused the child to lurch forward.

Tim whimpered as he turned to face his father and the vigilante felt a stab of pain hit his chest as he saw those big blue eyes red from crying and semi-dried tear trails cascading down his cheeks. "Papa," the boy cried as he flung his form into his father's waiting arms. Bruce pulled him close and heard his son muffling words from the crook of his neck. "I-I saw what happened to Kaldur and Dick… the others…"

The Dark Knight cursed himself for not locking down the supercomputer, but kept it to himself. _"Tim needs comfort now more than Batman needs to curse himself over an oversight."_ he reasoned mentally while he sat himself down into the swivel chair. Soft steps echoing through the darkness informed Bruce that Alfred was coming down the stairs that lead into the Bat Cave.

"Welcome back, Master Bruce-" the said butler cut off his words as he took in the sight of his surrogate son and grandson. Alfred's expression did not waver as he continued his way down the steps and placed his tray onto a table adjacent to the computer. Resting on his treasured tray was a coffee pot and two cups; one was already filled with what smelled like hot chocolate.

It took a few minutes of coaxing from Bruce to ease Tim into a sitting position and even longer to get the child to drink some coco milk. After a small gulp, the youngest son of Bruce Wayne placed his cup back onto the tray and spoke again, "I was looking through the Justice League database for any criminals capable of kidnapping four Metahumans and two protégés of heroes when the screen went dark and I was shown that… that 'Test of Mortals'… I heard what he planned to do with them and I saw what happened in the castle. He-Nero is using them and there is nothing I can do… It seems like there is nothing the League can do either." The child's voice began to waver as his eyes settled on Bruce's face.

"Am I going to lose my brother to this man?" Tim's bottom lip was quivering as he hoped with all his might that his father would quell his fear. Bruce hugged his youngest closer and replied with as much conviction as he could muster, "Not if I can help it, Tim."

The said billionaire wrapped Tim's form under the extra cape that the child found and allowed his son to doze off into a light slumber against his chest, while he brought up another window where he could attempt another scan of who posted the video. Batman did not get his hopes up.

His brown eyes flickered over to the red numbers that still displayed the timer and mentally cursed everything.

"3:59:02"

_**YJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJ**_

Aquaman stared indifferently out into nothingness from one of the lounges with a window view of outer space. His blue eyes remained set and no matter how much time passed, he would not move. How long had it been since the video ended? Half an hour, an hour, two… was the five and a half hour countdown finished? It was hard for his mind to form a comprehensive thought.

"Kaldur…" he murmured; _"Vuerd'ah… where… I can't…"_ his mind felt scattered and bleak, but he made no move to alter his posture. The King of the Oceans just stood in front of the window keeping him from drifting into oblivion.

A hand gently placed itself on his shoulder and slowly Orin turned to face his first friend of the Justice League: Martian Manhunter.

When Aquaman first joined the Justice League of America in its founding, seven years ago, he of course felt uneasy about being away from Atlantis and deep in the Surface World. The only reason King Orin took up Superman's offer to do something good for the world was because all seven members felt that the World needed protection and in Aquaman's case, Atlantis needed all the allies it could get. With a maniac called Black Manta swimming in his oceans, Orin thought the more allies he had, the better.

When the group first met in a mutual location, the one individual who could possibly understand him was the Martian Manhunter. J'onn felt his apprehension and was the one who convinced Orin to join the team of heroes. _"You have a home you want to protect and people you want to keep safe… I know that feeling as do the rest of our allies. I also know the unease of which you look upon humans as I once did, but know that for every bad person out there, there is always one good person to counter them."_

Those words comforted him and now, another awe-inspiring speech was needed from the Martian.

"J'onn, I apologize. I was not paying attention. What were you saying?" asked Aquaman. The said Martian offered a small smile and repeated his words, "I felt such distress coming from you, my friend and came to see if you required any of my assistance." The Atlantean stared into his faintly red glowing eyes and shook his head.

"I… do not know. I am not sure if I feel anything at the moment. I thought I would be angry, frustrated or even illogical, but I just cannot seem to keep a coherent thought." Aquaman's voice did not relay any of his turmoil, which only confirmed Martian Manhunter's theory of a distressed mind. "All I can see now is Kaldur injured and I wonder if Nero will truly help him."

J'onn placed a comforting hand onto his friend's shoulder and spoke soothingly, "I understand your fears, for I share them as well. We all worry about our young counterparts and with no lead for us to follow, our minds become scattered and that cannot be allowed. We all need to focus in order to be prepared for the chance to save the Young Justice team." Aquaman nodded slowly before his blank blue eyes regained some fight.

"Of course, J'onn. You are correct. Thank you for aiding me by returning my mind back to its rightful state." The automatic door that lead into the lounge swooshed open and Superman spoke from his place by the doorway. "There is a minute before the timer goes off." His words brought the other two Justice League members out of their private world and the three made their way back to the bridge where most of the League was waiting impatiently for the timer to finish.

"Did someone phone Bats?" asked the Flash as his right foot tapped in a fast rhythm against the floor. On cue, the Dark Knight entered the bridge with a slight bulge under his cape. When he sat down, Superman and the other saw a sleeping Tim Wayne in Batman's arms.

"He would not let go," was all he said and there was no room for questions.

"0:00:14"

The last seconds seemed to turn into hours as they counted down. _Ten, nine…_ Black Canary took a supportive step closer to Green Arrow._ Seven, six…_The Flash stood from his seat in an attempt to stop his tapping._ Three, two, one… _a low "beep" sounded in the air of the Watchtower bridge and the numbers faded away and as promised by Nero, a link appeared. J'onn moved the mouse on the keyboard in front of him to click on the long URL and a second later, another video materialized.

The perfect bold word, "NERO" was shown while the latest sociopath began talking.

"_Greetings, Justice League. I hope you all have had an enjoyable break from all the excitement. Now, as promised I will show you that I will keep my word to ensure Aqualad is given the proper medical attention. I didn't say how…"_ the last word was practically purred and Aquaman cursed him to the pits of Hell.

_"It's time to wake up, Aqualad…"_ said Nero and the lights in a white room turned on to show Kaldur lying on a medical bed without his neck bracer.

The Fastest Man Alive spoke, "What the Hell…?"

_**YJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJ**_

Darkness swallowed Kaldur'ahm's form, offering nothing. No pain, no understanding of the circumstances, he just saw black. Whenever he attempted to move a limb, nothing would happen; after the fourth time, Kaldur gave up and allowed his surroundings to keep him in oblivion.

Suddenly a voice spoke out to him. It was like listening to snow on the television. No real coherent sound, just white noise. As the sixteen-year-old continued listening to the noise and actually tried focusing on it, the noise morphed into a whisper that was too far to understand. Kaldur willed his body towards the voice and it felt like he was moving. Seconds passed and while his mind moved him in that one direction, the pitch darkness that surrounded him began mingling into gray, and soon light gray.

"It's time to wake up, Aqualad…"

Slowly, his eyes blinked open and in response to the blinding light, Aqualad placed his forearm over his eyes to protect them. _"Where am I…?"_ he thought as his bleary vision attempted to take in the room. A moment later his mind caught up with his vision and he concluded, "I'm in my room," it was the room or cell that Nero gave him.

Cautiously, Kaldur sat up and winced as his shoulder protested his movement. _"My left clavicle was broken when I protected Wally from the suit of armor…"_ he froze half way through his sitting position and tried to comprehend the odd feeling that swept through his body. Tentatively, his webbed hand touched the junction between his neck and shoulder and found no bracer confining him.

His wide blue-green eyes sharply turned to his hands and after a moment of concentrating, his tattoos began glowing a faint blue. _"I wouldn't do that if I were you,"_ Nero's voice startled him to his feet and Kaldur called out, "Why have you removed by restraints?" chuckling from the speakers filled the room and Nero took several moments to express his enjoyment.

"_Oh, Aqualad… I wanted to show the Justice League that I intend to make sure you receive the best care possible, so I took a gamble. As an Atlantean, do you heal faster than non-Metahumans?"_ the question allowed Kaldur to put two and two together. "You want me to heal faster, so you removed my power limiter." He should have seen this coming.

Another thing that his captor said caught his attention. "The League is being allowed to view my recovery?" disbelief painted his words and he mentally kicked himself. He should not be showing any signs of weakness; especially not while the Justice League was watching. Nero laughed and sighed, _"Of course they are watching this, but this is not the real treat. I can't just remove your shackles without insurance. Now step outside and move to the lounge area. The rest of your team is waiting for you."_ The intercom beeped off and Nero left Kaldur alone.

Shaking his head slowly, the said teenager gently rolled his shoulder to feel how his injury faired. It was still sore, but the bone no longer pushed against his skin and when he traced the clavicle, it felt like it was restored to its normal place. "It should take another day to completely heal, until then…" his voice faded and Aqualad looked towards the wall that concealed the sliding door. He walked over to the panel and pushed on the trigger that opened the door.

The halls were empty of people and sound, but Kaldur vaguely remembered the way to the common room and made his way there. A couple minutes passed before he once again found the black and white metal doors that confirmed his destination.

Aqualad pushed the doors open and, true to Nero's words, the other five members of his team were waiting on the couches for him. Smiling, Kaldur approached his friends only to stop in horror as he saw what was attached to them. Artemis heard their leader walk towards them and turned to face him, only to show the Atlantean that something was attached to her chest.

Everyone had a circular metallic device strapped to his or her chests and they were all leisurely blinking red ever so often. "No…" he whispered in shock. Robin shifted his new accessory in an attempt to make it more bearable, but it didn't help.

"Nero wants you to get better quick so he can start the next round, but he doesn't want you to think of escaping." The Boy Wonder shifted his gaze to the floor with disgust clear on his face. Miss. Martian felt that Robin was finished speaking, so she said, "Nero has promised that if you try to leave or even think of using your abilities for anything whatsoever, the devices on our chests will explode and the games will end here."

Robin and M'gann were saying the words, but the statements sounded more like Nero was speaking through his friends and giving his own form of a threat. Conner and Wally were seated beside Artemis, but neither spoke or glanced his way. The archer stood up from her seat and hugged Kaldur. "Don't worry about us, just get better." Aqualad nodded numbly and returned the hug in reflex.

"If this is his method of keeping me 'in line', then it has worked." he murmured more to himself than to his friends. Wally sighed and stood up from his seat. "I know that this is part of the bargain, but why does he have to do this to us?" the speedster kicked a leg of the couch that Superboy was sitting on in a feeble attempt to cope with his frustration. Robin stood from his place and said in a monotone voice, "Nero wants to continue playing with us; he wants to make us feel like we are powerless and use every single possible way to keep us dancing to his tune."

A crackling sound came from his collar and the Boy Wonder only had a second to be confused before an electrical current surged from his bracer into his body. 50,000 volts ran through him, which disrupted his nervous system and caused his legs to lose their footing. The thirteen-year-old crumpled to the ground and his form convulsed violently. Immediately, Artemis and Wally were by his side, holding onto him in a small effort to stop the spasms.

"What the HELL is going on?" shouted Superboy as he turned to the camera on his right. "Why are you doing this to him!" the Kryptonian clutched his hands into fists; desperately wishing he could pick up one of the couches and throw it at the thing invading this sick moment.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity to Robin, but was only thirty seconds, the attack stopped and his body was allowed to slump into Kid Flash's arms. The speedster clung to his friend, scared that if he let go, the convulsions would come back. One of the door panels slid open and the same child walked into the room with his trademark white suit on.

"I'm sorry that this happened, but Robin should not be insulting my father. If all of you want to avoid this punishment, you will remember to hold your tongue from any negative comments you have of Sir Nero." Kaldur bit his inner cheek to hold back a cry of anger towards the little puppet dancing just like they were in Nero's hands. Conner began stalking towards the boy, but Miss. Martian and Artemis stopped him. "Don't provoke an attack!" hissed the archer as her arms wound around his chest and Megan's encircled his waist.

Paris stared at them with indifferent eyes and turned his head towards the dining table. "It is meal time, please come and eat." His words offered nothing, and the bipolar topics only fueled the contempt the team felt against their captors.

As an after thought, the child added, "If you are concerned about the Justice League, then don't. The small amount of filming was to ensure Aquaman that we will be tending to your injuries as promised." Paris turned away from them and stood by the table waiting for the heroes to move.

Aqualad was the first the move towards the table with M'gann following him. Artemis lingered to glance back at Robin before walking with her best friend. Wally helped the Boy Wonder to his feet, but Conner took the thirteen-year-old into his arms and carried him to the six-seat table.

Everyone sat in the same seating arrangement from their first meal and they took in the splendid food. Freshly baked bread rolls; a steaming platter of beef stew; white long rice covered by a type of curry sauce; lettuce as bedding for fruits and vegetables; and a heated bowl that kept a rich liquid chocolate ready for dipping marshmallows in. Their plates were fine china and the glasses looked frail.

Artemis scowled, _"Damn Nero is testing us to see what will get a rise out of us!"_ her blue eyes moved to take in all of her teammates reactions to this sickly beautiful placement. Robin already came to the same conclusion as the archer and has masked his hate; this should be viewed as a meal, nothing more. Do not allow Nero to continue his mental assault.

Miss. Martian frowned in distaste at the stark difference from the warm setting yesterday. Aqualad must have had a semblance of the mind game and remained in control of his emotion since he picked up his glass and filled it with water. Superboy continued glaring at the pretty things in front of him with suspicion playing in his blue eyes. A gentle nudge from Robin snapped him out of his loathing of Nero to pick up a roll from the basket in front of him. Lastly, Wally dug into the rice and curry dish without batting an eye.

Smirking to herself, Artemis thought, _"Either he doesn't notice the mind game going on or he doesn't want Nero to get the better of him."_ Her inner voice was agreeing to the latter. They all tucked in and like last time, the food was delicious.

Paris stood next to Aqualad for the entire meal; he didn't move, which made the Atlantean uneasy, but no matter what, the child remained in his place. Fifteen minutes passed before everyone placed their cutlery down to casually sip their drinks before Paris made himself noticed again.

"Now that you all have eaten and are partially rested, Sir Nero would like to begin the next test. Artemis and Robin, please come with me." This one statement killed the façade of a light mood and everyone tensed. "Why?" questioned the Boy Wonder with an air of masked suspicion.

Those large green eyes of Paris zeroed in on Robin's face and he replied, "I am not at liberty to say. Now please come with me or I will have to inform the orderlies of your lack of cooperation." Seconds ticked away into minutes before the two heroes stood from their seats. Kid Flash quickly grabbed hold of the archer's arm. "Don't go! God knows what Nero will do to you." His voice did not hide the sheer panic he felt for her. Superboy stood up in protest, blocking the Boy Wonder's path.

Artemis smiled and gently pried her arm away his hold. Robin sidestepped Superboy and they both walked over to Paris's side. "Lead on," urged Green Arrow's niece and the three left the room in a darker atmosphere than when the team found themselves in Nero's clutches.

Neither hero had ever walked down the path that the child was leading them down and after numerous turns, left and rights, the three found themselves in a sterile room where two metal tubes were supported by clamps hanging from the ceiling. Paris walked closer to the pods and placed a small hand onto one of them. "We shall place you in these tubes and once you are placed in your positions, the rest of your team will follow and the task will begin."

He walked over to a console where a scientist was working and began murmuring to him. Robin eyed the pod uncomfortably and turned to Artemis; he leaned in and whispered in her ear, "What do you think they will do with us?" she shrugged helplessly and replied in an already defeated tone, "Most likely use us against the rest of the team…" she sighed and glanced over to the two minions of Nero.

"What do you think his role is in this?" Robin's domino mask aligned with the child and the archer continued speaking, "I mean, he does everything his father says and it almost is like he is a mouthpiece for the guy." The younger of the two opened his mouth to reply, but Paris's indifferent voice spoke out first. "My role is to ensure you all do as my father wishes; if Sir Nero wants you to be rendered unconscious, then all I ask is 'for how long?' Whatever he wants is what he will be given. Regardless of my feelings."

It could have been a desperate attempt to find a weakness in his façade, or it could be because Batman has taught him well, but Robin noticed the minuscule reluctance that Paris's tone held on the last word. _"Only someone trying to please an important person can have that tone down…"_ he would have liked more time to sort through the reasoning, but the man in a white lab coat scurried over with a clipboard tuck in the crook of his arm. Before speaking, sausage fingers adjusted coke-bottle glasses and he cleared his throat.

"Since you both will be unconscious for the upcoming task, I have been asked to remove your devices." Black eyes darted down to the explosive devices strapped to their chests. "Unfortunately, the collars will remain in case your friends reach you in time." He took a step closer to Artemis, but she matched his move by stepping back. Paris looked up from the computer, "I thought you were going to behave," he reasoned.

She glared at him and snapped back, "I may be doing this because I have no choice, but that doesn't mean that I will take this crap! I want to know what you are planning to do with us and I want to know now!" her voice escalated to the point that when she was finished speaking, she was shouting. Robin did not step in front of her to stop her since he was just as angry as she was.

The doctor glanced between the heroes and his master's son, wondering what will happen next. Paris typed something into the computer before turning to face the angered archer. "You both have been viewed as the keystones that hold your team together for this mission and Sir Nero will like to see how the Young Justice Team will fare without the brain and weapons user."

He waltzed over to Robin's side and placed a petit scanner close to the explosive and after a moment the red light vanished and a steady green light replaced it. He then clicked the buckles off and the device fell to the floor in a clatter. The nervous doctor hurriedly removed the one attached to Artemis and stepped back to continue working on the final touches on the pods.

Paris's height only allowed the top of his head to reach the "R" on Robin's suit, but his next words showed that the height difference did not impede on his job. "You will therefore be frozen like Mr. Freeze's wife and contained in a cryogenic coma until your teammates come and save you in the allotted time. If they do not find you within the hour, the tubes will flood with liquid nitrogen and you two will die." The simplicity held in his tone shook Artemis to her core and she quickly snapped, "I WON'T LET YOU DO THIS TO US! WE ARE HUMAN BEINGS! NOT TOYS!" she turned and snatched a screwdriver from a table to her left side and pulled Paris into her grasp.

Robin quickly followed her actions; he was driven by a fear that he hadn't felt since he nearly lost Batman to a run in with the Joker a year before. He easily placed the doctor into a chokehold and said in a slightly shaken voice, "You will remove our collars and then you will remove the things you have on our friends. Now." The man in his grasp whimpered pathetically, and replied in a whining tone, "I-I can't! Sir Nero will kill me if I did so!"

Paris kept his poker face on even as the tip of the screwdriver pushed uncomfortably into his neck, "You will not hurt me, Artemis." His statement had her glaring daggers at the crown of his head and she snapped, "What makes you think that?"

He tilted his head just enough so his eyes could see hers and replied, "A part of you knows that if we try and remove the collars, that my father will be alerted and everyone in your team will die. Also, you cannot hurt me because it goes against everything you stand for." Her conviction faltered under his words and without waiting for her respond, Paris gingerly removed himself from her hold and turned to stare at Robin until the said hero released his prisoner.

"I can understand that this next task is cruel, but it needs to be done." That was the closest they were going to get to sympathy. The doors leading into the cryogenic chambers opened and wisps of cold air blew against the heroes skin. Artemis shivered and took a frightened step back only for Robin to grab a hold of her hand. Fear was clouding her eyes as she gazed at those white lenses. He attempted to flash her a smile, but it seemed more like a grimace.

"We have to do this, if not for ourselves, then for the rest of the team." Just as Paris's words scared her, Robin's gave her back enough courage to nod in agreement. They both took the necessary steps towards the tubes before standing in front of the doorways.

Paris and the scientist both appeared by their sides and injected something into their upper left arms. "It is a relaxant that will help you before we freeze you," explained the man. Robin and Artemis's hand squeezed each other's hands in a move of reassurance before their hands released and they entered their pods.

Violent shivers shook their forms as the latches of their chambers clanged shut and before either knew what happened, the small spaces began filling with unearthly sparkling water. It rose to their knees and soon to their necks. Robin released a sound of protest while Artemis screamed out a resounding "no" from beside him, but the water kept rising. Soon it completely filled the tube and in a last ditch effort, they both tried to hold their breath.

Artemis was in a state of panic, so she was the first to gasp in the water and soon it filled her lungs; her body convulsed against the strange feeling from the water. It wasn't cold or hot, but a soothing sensation as it entered her system. After a few moments, Robin also caved into taking a breath and the shimmering water flooded his lungs. As he urged his entire being to try and view the new feeling logically, a calming sense, similar to procaine or Novocain, engulfed his mind and his mind drifted away from the scary situation he and Artemis found themselves in.

Their blue vision transitioned into black and their world disappeared into oblivion.

_**YJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJ**_

Aquaman saw Kaldur moving freely through the white corridors and noticed that his vuerd'ah, or son, was already moving with more life back in his movement, and felt a small ray of hope. Seeing his son out of danger was what he needed to feel, that there might be some semblance of reason within the monster that took his son.

Just as Kaldur reached two doors painted black and white, the video feed went dead and the Atlantean roared in protest; clutching the computer screen in front of him until it crumbled under his grasp. No one of the Justice League moved to stop him as he continued yelling at the broken equipment.

After a moment longer, he stopped his incoherent shouting and turned to his teammates with shame on his face. "I… I apologize, it was not proper of me to lose control of myself." The Flash blurred over to his side and placed a hand on the king's shoulder. "There is no improper way to react to this insane situation. No one can foul you for worrying about Aqualad."

The said Atlantean nodded and slumped into the chair next to him; fatigue and lost will was clear in his hunched shoulders. The Justice League hated to see the regal King who came across as arrogant to most people seem so frail here in front them. The image of "NERO" in the same bold reappeared and the man's voice sounded from the speakers.

"_Dear Justice League, I shall send you another link for the next task that is already in the progress of being set up for you and I hope you all are looking forward to the second act of the 'test of mortals'!" _the line disconnected and he was once again gone.

Silence devoured all of the super heroes and only a drowsy Tim Wayne broke the atmosphere by speaking, "Aquaman, does Aqualad have healing abilities?" his question was in no way condescending or mocking, but a welcome to all the adults. The said Metahuman looked up from the floor and smiled a small smile at the child, "Yes, us Atlanteans have a fast cell regenerating immune system. He shall be completely healed by tomorrow." He did not add, "depending on if Nero will give Aqualad the time to recuperate."

Tim snuggled into his father's arms and yawned; this informed the Dark Knight of a curfew being broken as he sat here with his youngest son in his arms. He stood up from his seat and said as he walked out of the bridge, "I will be in my room; call me when the link appears." And the automatic doors slid shut.

Another bout of waiting was possibly worse than anything else Nero could do to the League.

_**YJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJ**_

Nearly an entire day of waiting drove the Justice League into madness as each member constantly checked the super computer located in the main section of the bridge in order to make sure no one missed the updated link.

More criminal files were read to pass the first five hours.

Batman and Tim both burned away another five hours by attempting to psychoanalyze Nero, "He is not a young man; he lacks the impulsive drive and judging by his cruel mental game of making us wait, he has too much patience…"

Black Canary and Green Arrow tried to inform Red Arrow of the incoming link, but Roy did not respond to their hails.

Finally, after thoroughly butchering the training room built for the League's use down in the Hall of Justice, Martian Manhunter informed every League member of the newly arrived video link.

Once again, the bridge of the Watchtower was flooded with heroes as the Martian clicked on the new link that lead them to the same site where they watched the first mission.

"**WELCOME TO THE TEST OF MORTALS**"

Once again, these words filled the entire viewing screen and Nero was once again speaking to everyone in the world who found his video. _"Hello again everyone! As you all know my name by now, I will immediately jump into the second task placed before our young heroes!"_

Confusion permeated the bridge as only Aqualad, Kid Flash, Miss. Martian, and Superboy were standing in front of what can only be described as an old temple. Vines and other foliage were growing over most of the structure, ensuring that it was held together to last another century with Mother Nature's aid.

Nero continued speaking, _"Now all you viewers must be wondering where Artemis and Robin are, and here is where the twist will come in. Robin acts as the brain of the team with Artemis playing the role of weapons specialist. This became clear during the first test and now I must see if the Metahumans of the Young Justice team have learned anything from their teammates._

_"Listen closely, young heroes!"_ it was inferred that he was now talking solely to the four heroes. _"You will have one hour to find your stolen teammates in this isolated course. If you fail to do so, then they will be left to die in the cryogenic slumber that holds them now."_ The footage of the four teenagers was replaced with see through glass chambers holding the Boy Wonder and archer suspended in sparkling blue water for everyone to see.

Tim let out a pained cry as he say his brother in another prison and Batman tightened his hold on the armrests that his gloved hands dug into. Black Canary hid her face in Oliver's green tunic as he wrapped his arms protectively around her form.

The remaining Young Justice team must have seen this as well, since all the color in their faces were gone. Nero now spoke to everyone, whether they were standing in front of a temple or viewing this new mission on a screen, _"Let the second mission begin!"_

Time now held everyone by the throat and only four teenagers could save their teammates and the two League members who viewed the incapacitated youths as their own children.

_**YJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJ**_

**Chinese Fairy:** Woo! Another chapter, another mission beginning! I hope this was up to everyone's standards and the reason I keep showing how the Justice League reacting to the missions is because I think we need more light shining on them! They are characters of the D.C universe too!

Please excuse any grammatical errors and mistakes (my Mei Mei helped me with this chapter as well) *tohoho*

AND PEOPLE! A LOT OF YOU VIEW MY STORIES AND A LOT OF YOU DO NOT **REVIEW**! COME ON! YOU WANT ME TO CONTINUE WRITING, I WOULD VERY MUCH APPRICIATE FEEDBACK! I may not have updated like an addict, but I still am updating! Writer's block can hit and the only way to unblock writer's block is to get reviews! Many people favorite and that's it! NOT COOL!

PLEASE REVIEW! It doesn't take long.

Thanks and take care


	5. Chapter 5

**In the Place of Mortals**

**Chapter 5**

**Chinese Fairy:** … Holy crap! I did not mean to guilt trip people, but it seems like when you do, you get more reviews! Thank you for that and I am sorry if it seemed like I was… I feel bad, like I am guilt-ing you into praising me. (Sighs) Oh well, I am not going to whine about all THE LOVING I GOT IN RETURN FOR CHAPTER 4!

THANK YOU EVERONE WHO READ AND REVIEWED! (Humbly bows)

**Disclaimer:** … Would it surprise any of you if I said I still do not own Young Justice…? Really? Good, because if you did think that, randomly, I would earn the rights to the comics from D.C or the show from Warner Bros. and Cartoon Network then I am concerned about your mental welfare. I DON'T OWN IT! In case you didn't understand that weird spiel, I don't even get what I just said…

**Warnings:** This is the usual warning: fight scenes, blood, slight torture, curses and obscenities, the uses of chemicals and crazy survival games. A survival game in the jungle with threats of animals, guns, and danger… Rated T for a reason!

**Chinese Fairy: **Same as the last second note as before:Go read the chapter! It's more interesting than me!

_**YJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJ**_

**In the Place of Mortals**

**Chapter 5**

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"_Hi, you've reached my voicemail, so you know the drill. Leave a message and I'll get back to you soon."_ Roy Harper's voice spoke through the phone and Oliver Queen held back the urge to curse. The beep signaled for him to leave his message. "Yeah, hey Roy, you're not answering your other phone, so I'm calling you here. Hurry and answer back; there's been a development in the… case." With that, Green Arrow shut his cell phone closed.

Dinah Lance, or Black Canary, turned to face him with a sad look in her eyes, "Nothing yet, huh?" Her voice held no actual assurance of contacting Roy. He shook his head and threw his cell phone onto the console in front of them. "He hasn't checked in since last night. I've left eight messages, you've left four… what if something's wrong?"

Black Canary took in Ollie's haggard expression; his domino mask could not hide some of the deep lines of sleep deprivation and his beard and mustache seemed to be slightly more wild due to lack of trimming. Her blue eyes softened and she placed a hand on his tense shoulder. "We'll get a hold of him. Roy left a tracker in his laptop for us; we just have to wait until he turns it back on…" Her voice carried a soothing note that eased some of the tension out of her partner. Nodding absently, Green Arrow placed his larger hand over hers and gave what was probably a reassuring squeeze.

"Thanks Dinah… for, for keeping my head in the game." She smiled and placed a kiss to his cheek. "Keep going, Ollie. We need to be ready for any news on Artemis's location or a message from Roy." They turned their gazes to Batman and Tim, who were seated side by side; in front of them were two screens for a supercomputer helping them compute their data.

"Checking star charts and weather reports for the area." stated Batman as his fingers typed away on the blue glowing keyboard in front of him.

Tim, who was placed in an elevated swivel chair pressed right against the console to help give him leverage, zoomed into all the foliage adorning the Asian temple and replied, "I am analyzing the plant life in the area… It's more of a tropical setting, possibly near the equator; this may give us more information to go on in pinpointing their location…" the clicking of his typing never stopped.

Superman, who was watching the youngest Bat working over the child's head, spoke out to everyone, "Can we start looking at the temple's structure? It seems like it's from Asia, like Tim said." He glanced over to Martian Manhunter who replied in his calm manor, "I am searching through the temples of the following countries: Thailand, Nepal, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia… more to follow if nothing fruitful appears."

Several scans and searches were being conducted now to find the location, but nothing had been gained. No new leads and that was wearing down the confidence of the Justice League.

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A commercial flight to Japan from Red Arrow's last location in Washington D.C. was estimated at thirteen hours and forty-two minutes, but with a customized jet in his possession, Cheshire and Red Arrow had managed to cut the time almost in half. They'd just passed the tip of Russia and were now flying over the Sea of Okhotsk; soon they would reach Japan.

Red Arrow left the plane on autopilot and attempted to have an air of comfort around him while Cheshire sat in the copilot seat with her mask resting on the control wheel in front of her. Her eyes were closed and she appeared to be napping, but Roy did not even humor the idea of deep sleep himself.

Their trip had been mainly in silence; apart from helping one another clear take off, neither had bothered starting or maintaining a conversation. Red Arrow's eyes rolled in annoyance at his partner and he mentally berated himself for even taking up her offer.

_"Ollie is gonna wanna kick my ass for doing this. Not only am I ignoring his calls, but also I'm doing it so I can earn Cheshire's… trust…"_ he frowned at the word. "Trust"… something he wouldn't even consider if he wasn't desperate.

The whole League was desperate for a semblance of a clue to the team's location… he sighed and leaned back into his chair. He ignored the cell phone on the console and mentally apologized to Ollie. _"Can't check my messages with her in earshot…"_ his reasoning did not deter the anxiety; it almost had him wanting to start smoking; a sure way of coping with the stress. At least that's what smokers say…

"You keep up with the stressing out and you're going turn all your nice red hair gray… I wonder if that would suit you better. You have to relax." Her words came off condescending, and Roy did not like it. He turned to her and saw that Cheshire was now resting her feet on the jet's dashboard and she was exuding the aura of a lazy cat.

"I'm relaxed. Don't know what you're talking about." He snapped back; this caused him to frown even more. "_Way to go, Roy. Basically shout that you ARE on edge!" _His thoughts raged and he wanted to slam his forehead into the altitude indicator in front of him.

Cheshire laughed at his words and turned her swivel chair to slightly face him. "Yeah, you're relaxed. And I'm Marilyn Monroe…" she let out a small breath and added, "You're worried about your friends; I get that."

One of the archer's eyebrow's rose in disbelief. "Excuse me if I don't take your word on that." was his only remark.

Shrugging, the assassin sat up and placed her feet back on the metal floor. "Believe it or not, I do… I just never showed it. Never had a reason to show my regret or concern." These words confused Roy, but he did not let it show on his face. He turned to face his guest. "Why not show it? Is it considered a weakness in the assassin manual?"

Her response brought him up short, "It is; and I wanted to show my master that I had cut all ties to my past. It was necessary for me to live in the present and not the past." It may have been his imagination, but her black eyes seemed to become distant. Red Arrow scoffed, "Why are you telling me this? I'm an enemy; you're either trying to freak me out or you're just lying." Again, his words brought an amused expression to her facial features.

Cheshire smiled and she said in return, "You could be right; maybe I'm just bullshitting you or maybe I am telling you because you don't know who I really am and I am confiding in you because I've held in all these feelings for the last six years." She was now grinning. "It's up to you whether or not you believe it."

His lips were still set in a frown. _"Let's try another method of getting some real answers from her." _The archer glanced down at the dashboard and saw no change in their surroundings. "So, why are you helping me track down Nero? You keep talking about a regret and knowing how I feel, not to mention you said he took something of value to you. Are they connected?" He maintained an air of casual composure while he waited for her response.

She did not answer right away. A distant memory of so long ago caught up with Jade Nguyen; not Cheshire.

_The room was dim; there was no moonlight filling the two-person bedroom. What jerk parents made a teenager share a room with her kid sister? Not that she really minded, Artemis was not as annoying as other siblings were._

_Jade knew the space by heart; she knew where the floorboards creaked and where all her possessions were. A duffle bag was perched on the purple cover of her bed. She glanced up and from that split second she saw her "Alice in Wonderland" poster stare back at her. _"Only one answer can be seen now,"_ she thought as she shoved her last tank top into her bag._

_"Please, please don't go." Artemis's voice rang out clearly in her mind as if she were hearing it again. Jade ignored her kid sister for a moment before letting out, "Sorry sis, mom's not getting out of prison anytime soon and I refuse to live in this house with just dad." The bastard was a creep to the rest of world, what stopped him from being an ass to his kids?_

_The youngest Crock did not give up, "Dad and you, and me. We have to keep this family from falling apart." The desperation was clear in Artemis plea. Jade paused; was this really okay? Leaving Artemis with the poor excuse of an old man, who allowed mom to take the fall for his failure? _"She'll be fine. He doesn't think her much of an eyesore… Artemis doesn't look like mom. She won't have the same crap to deal with like me."_ Her thoughts reasoned mentally._

_Jade turned around to face the opposite wall, _"Cut all ties with her now; it'll be easier on the two of us."_ She smacked her hand against her forehead, "Toothbrush! Duh! Knew I was forgetting something…" she exclaimed and the older girl made her way back to the bathroom for the said item._

_She could feel Artemis's dark gray eyes trailing after her. As Jade returned to tuck her toothbrush away in her bag, the little girl perched on the second bed warned, "Dad will come after you." The eldest rolled her eyes, _"I already know that. If it were up to him, we'd never get away from his over-controlling ass," _she thought bitterly, but she didn't allow the emotion to show on her calm façade._

_"Let him; I'll just disappear like the Cheshire Cat." That was her only answer. Slipping on her black cap, Jade Nguyen made eye contact with her sister and slung all her possessions onto a shoulder; she walked away from Artemis._

_The strings that kept them together began snapping out place._

"_You should get out too," her black eyes took in the child's frame clutching onto the stuffed bear; it was like a lifeline for her to cling to. "I'd let you come too, but you'd slow me down."_

_"Someone has to be here when mom gets out." A sting, like a slap in the face caused Jade to lose the cool, calm, aura she was presenting. "Haven't you learned anything?" a sliver of the pent up animosity found its way into her voice. "In this family, it's every girl for herself." With that, Jade shut the door on her sister and her old life._

Cheshire opened her eyes, _"Did I actually close them?"_ she pondered fleetingly and made eye contact with Red Arrow's domino mask. He was still waiting for her to answer his question; glancing at the clock above the flight information display told her three minutes had passed. She inwardly cussed herself out.

She brought back her cocky smile and replied in her smooth voice, "That's for me to know and for you to constantly question like the worrywart you are." Red Arrow now glared at her and Cheshire turned to face the dashboard. She propped her feet back onto their place above the control wheel and shut her eyes.

Hopefully, she could take a nap before they reached Tokyo. "_Do me a favor Artemis,"_ she recalled how much her kid sister had grown last they met in Happy Harbor on her mission to kill doctor Serling Roquette, "_stay alive until I kill Nero with my own two hands…"_ and she fell into a light slumber.

Red Arrow knew that she wasn't going to give him anything else for the moment, so he checked the equipment once more and mutually agreed with his temporary partner that a small nap would do them both some good. He looked at Cheshire's sleeping form from the corner of his eyes and shrugged, _"Might as well. I'll humor her for now…"_ the white lenses of his domino mask narrowed as he closed his eyes.

A couple more hours and they would reach Japan.

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_"Let the second mission begin!"_ This had to be another one of Nero's cheap methods to unhinge them. Well, it worked like a charm. The television that was placed atop of the stairs still showed the four ex-Metahumans their two teammates suspended in the blue sparkling water, no masks giving them air. Were they dead and Nero was just fooling them?

"No, they have to still be alive! The point of these sick games is to test all of us. Including Rob and Artemis," reasoned Kid Flash as he glanced up at the digital clock counting down their time.

"**0:59:21"**

Those red numbers were pouring healing salt into the open wound that was threatening their team, his family!

Wally turned to Aqualad, "What's the plan?" he asked. Kaldur scanned his surroundings; an old temple that stood twelve stories high with sloping roofs hinting at influences from Hindu mosques. Foliage covered most of the structure and a few trees were emerging from parts of the aged building. His gray-blue eyes now took in the state of his captured friends and he forced his panicking mind to slow down.

"_Think! You cannot help them if you cannot think straight. Focus, look at the area they are located in."_ The Atlantean studied the courtyard of stone that held Robin and Artemis and then turned to face his teammates. "Let us look around this temple for a courtyard. We shall only donate two minutes to this; if we do not find them here, we will have to search through the jungle."

That mere statement made them all uneasy, but everyone nodded in agreement and sprinted off in different directions: Kid Flash ran into the decrepit temple for a higher vantage point; Miss. Martian ran through what could only be described as the wild front yard; Superboy hopped over a stone wall where he found a destroyed gazebo, but no courtyard.

Lastly, Aqualad found the back of the temple, where a moss covered statue stood in rubble, but no sign of his friends.

As promised, when the two minutes elapsed, the four heroes met back at the entrance to the temple. No one had to say anything regarding the search for the non-Metahumans teammates.

"There is no choice left, but to scan the forest for our friends." Kaldur mentally noted that at least the moon was out and it would help them search the jungle, but it was still a large area to pan through. Kid Flash spoke up, "I reached the top of the temple and saw something in that direction," he pointed to the west of their current position, "it looked like another temple in the distance."

Megan joined the conversation. "Did you see any other buildings?" she hoped he would answer "no". Wally exhaled harshly, "Yeah, there was another in the complete opposite direction, but it's closer." The female Martian piped in here, "How close?" He took a moment to calculate the distance. "About a mile and a half. We can search that one and then go towards the one in the west." He quickly added the last part.

Miss. Martian shook her head, "That may not be a good idea. If there is a lot of ground to cover, then we should split up. Two of us will go to one and the other two will go towards the west building." Superboy finally joined the conversation. "There's only four of us in this crazy jungle and you want to split up? We can't do that! Maybe if we had Robin and Artemis with us, but we don't! How can we defend ourselves and also be expected to save them in an hour?"

His words cut deeply into their hearts, but no one wanted to reply or try and contradict him. How indeed… The first task was won by the knowledge Artemis and Robin had given them. Instincts kicked in, logic showed through and the team pulled through, but Robin had the most experience in crime fighting, and Artemis was their designated weapons specialist.

"_How are we going to make it through this task with their lives on the line?"_ asked M'gann and this time, she was glad that her friends could not hear her thoughts. Aqualad straightened his shoulders and faced the others, "We do not have the luxury to question our predicament or whether we can or cannot defend ourselves. Robin and Artemis are counting on us to save them. We must put aside our doubts and keep moving forward."

His gray-blue eyes trained onto Superboy and Kid Flash, "You both will start towards the building to the west. Miss. Martian and I will make our way towards the opposite building. If nothing is found there, then we will meet you at the other temple."

Kid Flash wanted to ask why these two specific teams, but held back his questions. If Nero was also watching this, he couldn't start questioning Kaldur; not without showing a lack of trust in the team leader. The ex-speedster turned to Conner and when the clone nodded, he nodded to the Atlantean. Megan spoke now on one matter, "How will we keep in contact? There is no way our whistling will be heard with all the other sounds in the air." Her words brought them up short and Wally glanced up at the digital countdown.

"**0:56:58"**

_"Time was wasting-"_ his thought was cut short as Paris's monotone voice broke through their plans. _"Young Justice League, since this task seemed almost unfair, I took the liberty of giving you four communicators. They are located behind the television, set in a cardboard box."_ To corroborate this statement, Superboy made his way over to the tortuous T.V and checked behind the said object. Sure enough, four walkie-talkies were packed neatly inside the box.

Miss. Martian smiled into the air and said loudly, "Thank you, Paris. This will help us more than you know!" There was no response and Kaldur took a moment to question whether or not the video feed had sound capabilities. He pushed it aside in his head and took one of the devices that Conner offered from the box.

"Everyone switch to channel three, it will have a better reception." Commented Wally as he turned his communicator to life. The others did as he said and their leader now turned his gaze towards the east. "We must make haste, Miss. Martian." She nodded and they ran off without another word.

Superboy and Kid Flash stayed in place for another second before sprinting off in the direction that held the third building in the supposedly confined space. Kaldur did not need to warn them to be careful. Those words could be left unsaid; it was already agreed upon to contact the other group if anything happened. Until then, maintain a radio silence.

Kid Flash inwardly groaned. Three miles in one direction and depending of how fast they set their pace and not counting jungle dangers and traps set by Nero, every minute was going to, painstakingly, count.

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One camera angle offered by Nero gave the Justice League a timer of how much time had passed, and it now informed them that ten minutes have been eaten up since the start of the second task. They had a two-minute head start while Nero was talking and laying down the rules, but it wasn't much. Aquaman, The Flash, and Red Tornado kept a vigilant eye on the two video feeds going into the large screen.

It showed the two groups of the Young Justice League running through the jungle setting with the same trees and vines blocking their way. Most of the foliage had grown out of control over the years and the teenagers had to constantly sidestep and go around large shrubs, but they were making good time.

The Dark Knight was still checking star charts and was now trying to triangulate where the moon could possibly be hovering over which country when his youngest son spoke up, "Batman, I have found something!"

This one statement captured everyone's attention and Superman now refocused his gaze onto the computer screen displayed to the five-year-old child. "What is it, Tim?"

Small hands continued to type commands into the supercomputer, but he began speaking to bring the League up to speed. "I have been analyzing the plant life of the area and may have found something that could narrow our search." He paused from speaking in order to concentrate on zooming into a strange plant that was nestled on the tropical forest's ground.

More seconds ticked by before the blurry imaged cleared up and he grinned. The image showed a large red flower; about three feet in diameter and its five leaves were dotted with yellow spots. In the middle was a gaping hole where the reproductive system was located. "Rafflesia arnoldi!" he cried out in triumph, but it took the League a moment to connect the dots. Martian Manhunter replied first, "The Corpse Flower." His answer made Tim's grin grow and the youth brought up a map of Southeast Asia.

"This flower is known to be a rare specimen in the jungles of Southeast Asia and the Philippines. When I say rare, I mean that it is endangered. This is a very lucky image I got of a matured bud; the 'flower' only appears when the plant is about to pollinate." The child typed in a command, which changed the political map into a physical map that showed in detail all of the elevation changes of the land and where mountains, plains, forests, and cities were located in Southeast Asia.

"I can't give us a better location because even though it is rare, it grows in the rainforests of Bengkulu, Sumatra Island, Indonesia, and Malaysia. That is still a large section of search." His grin faded as his mind started to put together what the search of going through most of Southeast Asia would be like. Calling it an arduous task was an understatement.

The Man of Steel gently placed a hand against Timothy's back with a reassuring smile on his face, "You did great, Tim. You helped us go from searching the world to searching Southeast Asia. That is great news for us." Other members of the Justice League piped in thanks and words of gratitude, but what lifted the boy's spirits was a single nod of approval from his father.

That was enough for Timothy Wayne.

Tim nodded in thanks and turned his attention back to the screen in front of him, "I will try and find more flowers or plants that could further narrow down the search," he stated and went back to work. Clark smiled down at the child; _"These Bats are all the same… Hard workers and they exceed everyone's expectations. Only five-years-old and he is already able to use a supercomputer. Not to mention he identified a plant from its image alone, with no help from the computer. He even knew about its reproduction process."_ He glanced at the Dark Knight, who had returned to his star charts, _"It's because of his surroundings… not to mention Timothy Wayne is a genius in the right living space. Bruce will take care of this child…"_

He turned his attention up to another large screen that highlighted Southeast Asia and all the jungle not disturbed my man. "Where should we start looking…?" he asked out loud.

The search would continue. Superman's eyes couldn't help glancing back to the bold ticking numbers at the top right corner of Tim's computer.

"**0:48:12"**

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A beeping woke Cheshire and Red Arrow from their naps and both saw on the indicator and computer that they had just reached the tip of Japan or the island of Hokkaido. He turned the autopilot off and took to manually flying the rest of the way to their destination. "Where are we going to land this bird?" Cheshire asked as she placed the headphones on her head; she needed to listen in on the air traffic control.

He turned to her and replied dryly, "I'll decide where when you tell me where in Japan we're going to." She rolled her eyes at him and sighed, "We're going to Tokyo." There was the underlining tone of "duh" in her voice, which caused him to frown. He was doing that a lot with his new companion. "We can't land a jet in Tokyo or any of the surrounding towns, for that matter." He exhaled, "We're going to have to land in an isolated location and find another means of transportation." A frown finally marred the assassin's face. "What do you mean we have to find another way of getting to Tokyo? We have a plane, we can land in the airport."

Roy turned to glare at her. "We've been flying through Russian airspace, Japanese air, and Canadian space via stealth jet. What makes you think that Japan would grant landing clearance to a plane that suddenly appeared on their radar? Only to question the Hell out of us." He bit out.

She huffed and crossed her arms over her chest, "Great, we can land in some remote place and continuously act like buddies until we reach Tokyo…" Cheshire was not amused.

The archer smirked at her and commented, "Think of it as our fourth date, honey."

Her black eyes zeroed on him and she couldn't help but smirk in return. "Maybe you're beginning to thaw out, Arrow." He typed a coordinate into the database in front of him and the jet was now in a course that would set down on close to-

"You're going to have this bird land near Mount Fuji?" her voice was dripping with disbelief. Red Arrow shrugged, "No one will find it while it's on stealth mode, plus I've always wanted to see it. We can take the bullet train from there to Tokyo and get there in no time."

Cheshire wasn't sure if he was teasing or for real; she heaved a sigh and turned to look out the window to her right. "Why not…"

Roy guided the jet onto the course laid out and kept his eyes staring ahead into the dark, night sky. _"The clouds around Mount Fuji are said to hide him from people's eyes because he is shy… Maybe they will also keep people from seeing our jet."_

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Miss. Martian and Aqualad continued through the underbrush of the jungle with the same trouble as Kid Flash and Superboy. Since man did not come to this location, Mother Nature had reclaimed the forest for herself. Plant life of all sorts had grown out of control and now impeded their paths.

Kaldur panted slightly as he climbed over another uprooted tree that had moss cushioning the bark. He turned around and offered Megan a hand to help her over the blockage. She took his hand gratefully and he pulled her over and to the other side.

"How, how long have we been climbing through this jungle, Aqualad?" she asked as they took a moment to catch their breath. He paused and looked up to the sky. "Judging by the spacing of the moon, I would say about ten minutes…" he could not be sure.

Paris spoke up again, startling them both, _"Twelve minutes and twenty-two seconds have passed. I shall be updating you all of what time has passed and how long you have left. Forty-four minutes and thirty-six seconds left."_

Aqualad was not sure if he was comfortable with the offering of constant updates. A sudden rustling of the bushed fifteen feet away from their position interrupted his uncertainty. Miss. Martian also heard the noise and froze in place. Neither of them breathed out in case it was something more than a small creature of the night.

Cautiously, the Atlantean picked up a wooden staff and offered it to his friend while he picked up a rock. _"If it is an enemy, then one attack from a distance may give us a small head start,"_ his mind reasoned. They waited for a few seconds, and from the pounding of their hearts, it seemed like an hour, but soon something emerged from the greenery. Aqualad gasped, "It is a Genomorph…"

It was a Genomorph slightly taller than Kaldur; it was crouched on all fours with large claws instead of hands and feet and its wiry body almost blended in with the shadows of the forest due to the complexion of the grayish skin. The only way he could tell it was a Genomorph was by the same red eyes and the bold memory of the same creature cutting into his side when he, Robin, and Kid Flash had snuck into Cadmus Labs several months ago.

Its pointy ears perked at the sound of their breathing and turned its blood red eyes towards them.

This Genomorph was titled a "G-Elf".

He wasted no time; Kaldur lifted the rock over his head and threw it towards the enemy. It cried out in surprise and he shoved M'gann forward. "Go! Run, M'gann!" he ordered. Her mind was still trying to catch up with the sudden attack from her leader, and trying to find out what the creature was, but now she had the choice of fight or flight and she chose flight.

The two heroes were sprinting through the under grove, tripping every now and then over roots or vines, but they continued onward. Aqualad yanked the walkie-talkie out of its place on his belt and yelled into the communicator.

"Kid Flash! Superboy! Come in!" He brought up his arm to move aside a branch that could have hit them. A moment later Wally's concerned voice replied, _"What's up, Aqualad?"_ Miss. Martian tripped over a protruding rock in the ground and her body splayed onto the ground.

Kaldur handed her the communicator and lifted her onto his back. "Inform them to be cautious. There are Genomorphs wandering the forest!" He took off running, in the same direction they had been heading towards for the last ten minutes. He inwardly sighed in relief when he noticed the decrepit structure in the distance.

Megan relayed the sentence word for word and Kid Flash yelled from the other side of the device, _"Are you friggin' kidding me?"_ She winced as his voice hit a pitch so high that it actually did not register with the communicator. She tried to make contact with Aqualad, "Kaldur, what are these Genomorphs?" Her question was not answered at the moment, as he jumped over a small fallen pillar and he sprinted out of the jungle and onto a faded cobblestone path.

They had reached their goal.

Aqualad sprinted the last twenty-five feet up a flight of stairs and he ran into the aged building. Miss. Martian hopped off his back and attempted to close a wooden panel that was once a door shut. There were no windows and no other ways into the first floor of the place; they were safe for now.

She was startled when Kaldur spoke; he was still panting, but he relayed the information she asked for before they made it to their goal. "… Those beings were made… by Cadmus Labs. Th-they are the same organization that created Superboy with the stolen D.N.A of Superman. Along with creating Superboy, the scientists developed six different creatures that were designed for an array of uses. Weapons that range from super strength, telepathy, and other attributes that can kill one's enemy. The day we found Superboy was the day we, Kid Flash, Robin and I, found the Genomorphs."

Miss. Martian remained silent for a moment before speaking in shaky voice, "Were they hard to defeat?" He did make eye contact with her when he replied, "They were a struggle for the three of us; Superboy had a higher advantage beating them… but that was when he had his powers…" It almost seemed like he was already admitting defeat.

Megan nodded to show she was listening and propped her wooden staff against the door at an angle to make sure it wouldn't be broken down. "Come on, Kaldur, we need to look for Robin and Artemis." He nodded in return, and as they began walking deeper into the old building, their walkie-talkie went off.

"_GUYS? Are you still there? YOU GOTTA ANSWER ME!" _It was Wally and from the tone in his voice, he was ready to have a heart attack; M'gann pulled the compact radio free from her belt and replied, "We're still here, Kid Flash, there is no need to panic. We've reached our destination. Where are you now?"

A moment later there was a loud crashing noise coming from the communicator, which caused the Atlantean and the Martian to stop walking.

"Wally?" she hesitantly questioned. Another few seconds ticked by before he responded breathlessly, _"Sorry Meg, but we finally found the Genomorphs-or should I say they nearly trampled us like a herd of ELEPHANTS!"_ Afterwards, he muttered the word, "crap", before another bout of rustling bushes was heard over the communicator.

"Look guys, we're still a little ways away from our goal, so we're going to maintain radio silence for a bit. These things can hear really well, not that they show any acknowledgement of our traipsing through this maze of greenery!" a smile blossomed on M'gann's lips; not even an impending doom could erase Wally's jokes. No matter how poor in taste they were in.

"Okay Kid Flash, we will maintain radio silence. Contact us when you deem it safe." The line went dead after that.

She turned to Kaldur and they began searching the area. According to the video feed of Artemis and Robin, they were outside in a courtyard, so they walked up the three flights of stairs that lead them to the tower section of the temple.

They both stepped outside and took in the cool night air. M'gann breathed out with a small smile on her lips. "This place is truly beautiful…" she commented, Aqualad nodded and they scanned the ground floor around the decrepit temple.

"Do you see either of them?" he questioned. She shook her head and they double-checked all around the compound. "Of course it would not be as simple as that," murmured Kaldur as he placed out his hand for the walkie-talkie and Megan handed it to him. He thanked her then spoke into the device, "Paris, can you please answer me this, are Robin and Artemis waiting for us in the other building?"

From a third person's point of view, this could be considered cheating and Nero would not like it, but it seemed to Aqualad that Paris was the one running the games and tasks. Setting them up, taking the team to the next game. It was like Nero just wanted to play God with them and remain unseen, but still hold their lives in his hands.

Surprisingly, Paris responded, _"Yes they are, but right now, you have the issue of a G-Elf pack on your trail. You should get rid of them before you continue on."_ Miss. Martian was a little concerned by the fact that it seemed like Paris was helping them through this level, but she couldn't place why. _"Is he possibly feeling guilty for taking Artemis and Robin from us…?"_ Now was not the time to confirm this possibility.

_"Eight minutes and thirty-seven seconds have passed since the last time update. You now have thirty-nine minutes and forty-one seconds to find and save Robin and Artemis."_ Neither had to guess that Paris was done talking to them for now. She turned to face Kaldur's unreadable face and sighed inaudibly. "How are we going to take care of the threat of… the G-Elves?" That question hung uncomfortably in the air before Aqualad replied; "We cannot fight with them hand to hand; we must look for tools or weapons to help us."

He altered his position to face the entrance to the roof, "We will need to search the building for anything that can help us." They ran back down the steps and began the arduous task of looking through every room for a possible tool that could save them from the razor claws of the Genomorphs.

_**YJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJ**_

Conner and Wally were not having a good time. Not only was there a river cutting into their path to the temple three miles away that they had to wade across, but now they had five G-Trolls wandering the distance between them and their goal. Those same imposing forms that stood taller than thirteen feet with tusks protruding from their mouths and shoulders held a foreboding aura around them. Large arms that could crush the ex-Metahuman bodies into dusts propped the creatures in a gorilla-like stature and those same red eyes like the G-Elves scanned the rainforest looking for its prey.

"How the hell are we going to take down not just one, but FIVE G-Trolls?" demanded the ex-speedster. This was NOT how he imagined this task was going to unfold.

The Boy of Steel glanced over his shoulder and confirmed that one of the Trolls was still in the vicinity, about ten feet from their place. He shut his eyes in frustration. _"I don't understand why Genomorphs are here! Dubbliex said that I was a brother to the Genomorphs and that I would save them from this kind of thing; being used… WHY ARE THEY HERE?"_ his thought nearly screamed at him. A part of him, a small part of him, understood that technically, he was Genomorph as well, but Conner never told anyone about this feeling. It was his alone, but now…

"I say we continue moving regardless of the Trolls being close. We keep moving, that's the plan," stated Superboy determinedly as he started at a run for Wally to follow. Their movements were slowed down in order to pace themselves and to try and maintain silence, but the jungle floor was littered with leaves that crunched under the wrong footstep.

To say that Kid Flash was shocked by Conner's decision was an understatement. "You want us to NOT engage them?" Disbelief was clear in his voice, but he readily agreed that this might be their best bet to getting to Robin and Artemis alive.

Conner shot him a glare over his shoulder and the younger hero grinned sheepishly, "Yeah, I know, it sounded bad, but you usually want to fight and all that 'super guy' stuff." He quickly added as he pivoted over a small rock in his path. Superboy nodded to himself then murmured, "It won't do us good if we lock ourselves in a battle we can't win. It's better to keep moving." He now smirked, "That was our tactic in Cadmus, right?"

Kid Flash grinned back, "Yeah, why can't it work now?" The serious mood returned when another Troll was heard a little ways away stomping over the ground. It didn't sense them, so it continued patrolling the section. They fell silent and tried to keep their footfalls light.

The Flash's partner whipped out the walkie-talkie and lowered the volume with the specified dial, and then he spoke, "Paris, how much longer do we have to get to Artemis and Robin?"

The voice of the ten-year-old whispered in the night and since no G-Trolls came bounding their way, Wally assumed that they didn't hear the boy, _"You are about half way to the temple, and the timer reads that you have thirty-four minutes and three seconds left to reach your friends."_

Wally cursed and muttered a "thanks" before placing the communicator back in his makeshift belt of vines twined together. Unfortunately, while he was multitasking, the ex-speedster missed the innocently placed rock protruding out of the earth and it caused his boot to catch on it.

"WAH!" he yelled as he lost his footing and went flying onto the ground. Superboy turned around sharply and saw that his teammate was down. He backtracked and helped Kid Flash to his feet, but they froze in place and the drumming footsteps of G-Trolls were heard coming their way.

"Come on, we gotta move!" he ordered and he yanked Wally forward, so they could begin running. They managed thirty feet before one of the large creatures broke through a line of trees and was now charging towards them. Kid Flash shoved Conner to his left while dodged to his right. This saved both of them from being stepped on by a foot.

Instead of rolling into a tree, like he thought he would, Wally's shoulder bumped into a wooden box and he grunted from the movement. Wincing, he stood up while massaging his injury, but his green eyes saw what it was.

A wooden box with the initials, "T.o.M" and realized what it was, _"T.o.M: Test of Mortals. I don't even need to guess whose idea this was. Nero wants to pretend that this test is an even playing field…"_ he opened the gift and gaped in shock. "No way in hell…" he swore out loud.

A single rocket-propelled grenade launcher was shining dimly in the moonlight in front of him. He shut it violently closed and spun on his heels. "Conner…!" he whispered harshly into the night.

There was no answer.

Wally eyed the R.P.G like it was a rabid animal about to bite him; he never EVER humored the idea of holding a gun and the one time he did, he was so angry at Manipulus for hurting his teammates that technically speaking, he hadn't been entirely sane. A rustling sound of leaves came from behind him and Kid Flash readied a roundhouse kick to anything coming near him.

Superboy narrowly dodged the attack that would've hit him in the torso and glared at Wally. "If I were a G-Troll, your plan was to kick me and hope for the best?" Incredulity was clear in the Kryptonian's words. Wally rolled his eyes and replied grumpily, "I have been undergoing several heart attacks in the last ten minutes, excuse me for not thinking my plans through."

He noticed that the item in the box caught Superboy's attention, and Kid Flash continued speaking, "Yeah, that thing caught your attention as well, huh?"

Conner didn't answer and Wally didn't expect him to. What answer could fully state the shock of what Nero had offered them in this task? Grenade launchers were far from what they were thinking, but granted, neither hero thought they would ever see Genomorphs again.

"If we have to, we'll use it." said Superboy has he took a step closer to the container. Wally paled and asked quietly, "Are we sure we want to use these weapons? What if the League sees?" Kid Flash once again realized that his lips were faster than his mind. _"We're in a life of death situation right now, how could the League ever judge us for trying to stay alive?"_ The thought comforted him some, but the image of his Uncle Barry grinning at him made him involuntarily flinch. _"The Flash would never use this kind of weapon. Never… how could I even think of using it?"_

Shame from the haunting encounter with Manipulus ran rampant in his mind. _"I'm so lost, Uncle Barry…"_ His thoughts were soft and tinged with guilt from what he may have to do in the foreseeable future.

Superboy turned to him with a frown on his lips. "Do you think I want to do this either?" Those words hung in the air before he continued, "I would love to have my superpowers back, so I could push back those Trolls, but I don't have my abilities. You could easily run to the temple in a few seconds and save Artemis and Robin, but you can't; you can't because of this stupid collar!" His hand roughly latched onto Wally's restraint and he tugged.

Kid Flash winced, but didn't interrupt Conner. "We don't have the luxury to worry about what our mentors of the League think about our actions because right now we have to worry about staying alive and saving our friends. I don't know about you, but I don't want to lose them to Nero's sick games!"

He turned his back to Kid Flash and picked up the weapon. It was lighter than Superboy expected; he gently bounced the launcher in his right hand, "It can't be more than 15 pounds…" His comment startled the ex-speedster and they stood grounded in place. It was official; they were going to use firepower against their enemies; their enemies being the G-Trolls keeping them from their two friends.

_**YJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJ**_

Batman pretended to not notice that the timer in his computer's right hand corner reached the half and hour mark. Everyone was being driven mad by this new task. Not only were two young heroes' lives on the line, but the rest of the Team was wandering the jungle with Genomorphs in their way. The only reason the Justice League knew what they were was thanks to Robin and Aqualad's report on the "mission" they underwent when the three sidekicks-young heroes infiltrated Cadmus.

One look at the creatures and most mentors wanted to roar in anger. Their protégés were risking their lives all because of one man's sick games.

The white lenses of his mask reread the information in front of him and he said out loud, "The star charts only confirm that the Young Justice Team is in Southeast Asia."

He wanted to smash his fists into the table in anger, but resigned himself to just standing up from his seat and walking over to where Tim was still typing. The Dark Knight took in his youngest son's stature and complexion in the computer's light and inwardly winced. Tim was tired; he could see it in the child's movements and his typing was slowing down.

Gently, Batman rested a hand on the child's shoulder. "You should go rest." As a statement, it could be viewed as a suggestion, but to everyone in the League they knew a suggestion from the Bat had an underlining order.

Tim shook his head and paused from his work. "I cannot, Papa. Robin needs us and so does the rest of the team. If I can help I will. We already reached the half way point of this task and I won't abandon my brother." His conviction was true; Superman, who was standing to the side watching the video feed of both teams, smiled to himself. _"It's true; all the Bats are really stubborn… I'm glad I don't have a sidekick right about now,"_ he mused inwardly.

The Dark Knight looked like he wanted to turn the statement into an order, but held his tongue. He couldn't be so cruel as to actually make Tim leave the room. The waiting alone would be torture and whether or not he would like to admit it, Bruce could not say no to his sons. At least on the small things; this counted as a small thing.

He nodded and turned his gaze to J'onn. "Have you identified the temples yet?" His question was the first one to register with the League members and the Martian sighed inaudibly. "I have narrowed the search to Malaysia and Indonesia. There are still too many anomalies to include into the search."

Batman now looked to the screen that showed Miss. Martian and Aqualad searching through the temple they were in with no success in finding anything to help them. In the feed with Superboy and Kid Flash something caused him to stop breathing.

Wally and Conner had just found a rocket propelled grenade launcher.

Everyone else must have registered this as well because The Flash spoke out first. "What the Hell are they doing with an R.P.G? What's WRONG with this Nero-character?" Everyone else was just as shocked; an anti-tank weapon was resting on Superboy's shoulder and the two continued on into the jungle with Kid Flash carrying two more grenades in his hands.

After a moment, Green Arrow spoke up, "They are using the tools and weapons they have been given to survive. If that means they have to use an R.P.G launcher, then so be it. You've never had to resort to those kinds of tactics, but I have, Barry. It's not something I like to admit, but I did it to survive. They are using it for the same reason."

The archer's words consoled and angered the Fastest Man Alive at the same time. "Surviving is fine, but that weapon could easily hurt them! If Superboy or Wally misfire that thing, they could set the jungle on fire, injuring or KILLING the others! It's too big of a risk!"

Black Canary sided with Oliver, "No, they may have never used such a thing before, but they have faced enemies that used a grenade launcher against them. Wally and Conner know the risk of using the device and I believe that they won't brashly use it."

The three continued on back and forth with agreements and harsh retorts, but the rest of the League did not intervene. Believe it or not, this also allowed the heroes to vent their frustrations. Superman zoned the three out as he saw Superboy carrying the launcher in his arms and a thoughtful look appeared on his face. _"If Dinah believes you can handle it, then I will believe in it as well."_ He may have been hesitant in approaching Conner, but after the Manipulus mission and the party at the Kent's farm, Clark and Conner had gotten closer.

They weren't considered "father and son" moments, but they were finally getting over the awkwardness of their relationship. It was mainly thanks to Batman and Robin mediating, but it was working. They were moving forward.

"INDONESIA!" shouted Timothy Wayne as he jumped up and down in his seat. This caused the three arguing heroes to stop bickering; it also had Batman, Superman, and Martian Manhunter moving to get a look at the computer screen.

Three pictures of different flowers were shown and a political map, which showed the borders of Indonesia and Malaysia, and it also included the 33 provinces of the nation. Tim began speaking very quickly, "I already found the Rafflesia arnoldi from one of the first scans of the jungle and have spent the last half an hour searching the rest of this rainforest for more clues. The second clue came from the temple that M'gann and Kaldur were searching through."

He opened the recorded video of the two said heroes walking through the second floor and resting against the wall was a white flower resting on a thin limb of a branch. "I found it when M'gann was going through one of the rooms. That is a Phalaenopsis amabilis, also known as a Moon Orchid. The only time it is ever presented on branches is when the roots have aged and are frail. It will rely on the sun for its nourishment." Tim closed that window and opened another video, which showed Conner and Wally dodge rolling the G-Troll.

"The third and final flower came from this portion; do you see that little white flower right there, by Kid Flash's elbow?" He paused for a moment and froze the feed. Without waiting for their response, he continued, "That flower is well know as Jasmine, but its full name is Jasminum sambac. This specific species is native to the Philippines and one of the three national flowers of Indonesia."

The child turned to face all of the heroes surrounding his computer space. "Rafflesia arnoldi, Phalaenopsis amabilis, and Jasminum sambac are the three national flowers of Indonesia." He was beaming.

Superman was also grinning as he turned on his heels towards the exit of the monitor room. "This is great work, Tim. I'm going to start my search in Indonesian island of Sumatra and work my way east."

Martian Manhunter and the first Green Lantern, Hal Jordan, followed him out as well. Tim glanced over to his father with uncertainty. "Even if I narrowed the search from Southeast Asia to Indonesia, that is still over thirteen thousand islands to search…" his tone was tinted with frustration. "If only I could narrow it down further!" he scolded himself.

Wonder Woman walked over to his side and picked him up to rest in her comforting arms. "You have given us the closest lead to finding the Young Justice League… that alone renewed our hopes of finding them and if Superman and the others think they can find them, then who are we to stop them?"

Her wise words comforted him and Batman mentally agreed with the Amazonian Princess, "You did a good job, Tim." he said and nothing in the world could ever raise Tim's spirits more than praise from his Papa.

He held out his arms for the Dark Knight to take him and he was gently passed from Wonder Woman to Batman's arms. He hugged his father figure close. "I'm glad I could help, Papa."

Aquaman proclaimed, "Kaldur'ahm and M'gann have found a mode of transportation!" this turned their attention back to the large screen and they confirmed that Miss. Martian and Aqualad found a worn military Hummer with a machine gun bolted into the truck bed.

No one liked seeing another weapon for the teenage heroes to use, but if it would keep them all alive and bring the four of them closer to saving Robin and Artemis, then so be it.

_**YJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJ**_

Out of the three-story building, there was not one thing the Atlantean or Martian could use to defend themselves with. No bats, swords, shields, crossbows, or any other weapon. Kaldur felt the impulse to punch the stone wall in irritation, but refrained from doing so; he didn't want to upset Megan.

Her confidence completely vanished when they reached the first floor again. "How are we going to make it to the other temple? It's four and a half miles away from our destination." she commented from her place against the aged wall. Aqualad sighed and made eye contact with his friend, "We are going to have to go outside and check the grounds surrounding this building. Nero wants this to be exciting for the League, so he may want us to risk our lives to find something that will save us."

Megan nodded at his reasoning and gently pushed her body off the floor divider. "Let's go then." She pumped a fist upward to show encouragement and silently asked Kaldur to hold onto her hand.

He took in her shaken form and felt compassion and pity sweep into his heart for her; M'gann never had to deal with this kind of stress before. No one on the team ever went through such a strenuous activity. The Atlantean smiled and his webbed fingers enclosed on her lithe hand.

Before removing the staff that she leveraged against the door, Aqualad took the communicator and spoke into it, "Paris, how much longer do we have?" it hurt and simultaneously filled them with the strength to keep going; the time limit kept their goal clear.

_"You have twenty-six more minutes."_ That was all he said.

The two teenagers mentally readied themselves before removing the staff and Kaldur opened the door. There were no Elves waiting outside for them, but they didn't humor the possibility that they were going to leave the two alone. With their hands still connected, the two made their way outside and continued searching for one thing that could help them.

Anything at all would be considered a blessing.

They went through another garden and a storage building before they found their savoir: a semi-rusted military Hummer that had black leather seats that were damaged from the sun burning down on them. In the truck bed was a machine gun turret. M'gann released her leader's hand and ran over to the vehicle. The keys were sandwiched precariously between the visor on the driver's side and her hands swept the key into her grasp.

"Let us see if it is working." urged Aqualad and without another word of debate, she sat herself into the driver's seat and Megan brought the Hummer to life. Its engine roared as if it was a beast waking from a deep slumber and it was ready for anything.

Momentarily forgetting their situation, Miss. Martian cheered and turned to Aqualad with a dazzling smile; the first one in a long time, it felt like. Kaldur couldn't help but smile in return and he jumped into the passenger seat. "How much gas does it have?" he questioned. She found the gas meter and beamed, "A full tank!"

Nodding in ascent, he said with renewed confidence, "Let us make our way to the other temple!"

Miss. Martian revved the engine, released the break, and put the Hummer into drive; they shot off into the night, with the heavy-duty vehicle tackling the rough road through the jungle.

About half a mile into their journey, the G-Elves returned in the single pack that tracked them since they left the last building. Miss. Martian glanced into the rear view mirror and saw the fast moving creatures. "Aqualad, are you really going to use the gun in the back?" she now kept her eyes on the road, but a part of her was still unsure of anyone on the team using the weapons offered to them.

Kaldur eyed the machine perched behind them wearily. _"I do not like guns… Annex Orin was injured during one of our personal missions against whalers and he was shot. It was one of the worst days of my life… Seeing my King injured, and now I must use a weapon I despise to help protect M'gann…"_ The need to defend Miss. Martian from the Genomorphs trumped his hatred for the gun and with that settled, Aqualad stood from his seat with the help of the roll bars and maneuvered around the seats to settle into the machine gun turret bolted into the back of the Hummer.

His fingers traced over the safety and trigger. As much as he hated these human made devices, he knew how to work them. The safety was found on the left; beneath the actual gun were the knobs that would allow him to adjust where the barrel of the weapon pointed towards. He turned the large knob left and quickly adjusted it so it would be positioned to shoot the bullets upward.

Aqualad's fingers tightened the locking mechanism and double-checked the bullets, which were held together by what was called the bullet belt. He didn't want to kill the Genomorphs, so he aimed the bullets to fly over their heads and hope that the noise was enough to scare them off… if they even felt fear at all.

With adrenaline pumping through his body, Kaldur'ahm pulled the trigger and gasped at the slight recoil of the gun. In that second he deduced that it was an automatic machine gun and that the shock came not from the kick, but from the loud sound!

He winced and Megan let out a scream. _"It is so loud that it took me by surprise!"_ Her mind reeled as her hands clutched tightly onto the steering wheel. In the excitement of driving her first car, M'gann completely forgot that she has never driven a car before, but thanks to Wally and Robin playing racing games, the little bird taught her everything she needed to know about the real automobile.

The Hummer was different from what she expected, but now was not the time to ponder the differences.

Kid Flash's voice on the radio barely registered over the gunshots, so when Miss. Martian replied she shouted, "What was that, Wally? I couldn't hear you!"

His response was shouted back with the same volume, _"We are hearing gunshots ring out through the forest, and seeing as how it's coming through the walkie-talkie, I'm going to assume that's you guys?"_ She frowned; he wasn't happy about them using guns either; however, this was another topic that had to wait.

"Paris, if you can hear me over the noise, can you please tell me how far we are from Kid Flash and Superboy! Also how much longer do we have?" She inwardly hoped that she didn't sound as bossy as she thought she did.

Paris replied with a hint of amusement in his voice, _"You have two more miles before you rendezvous with them and you have twenty-one more minutes before your time is up!"_ even the ten-year-old had to shout over the noise. She thanked him, and doubted that Paris heard it, and then called out, "K.F, if you can hear me, Paris said that in two miles, we will be able to meet up! Please stay where you are and we will come get you!"

_"Got it, Gorgeous!"_ he gave her another silly nickname, but what made her smile was how his voice picked up. He was feeling the "aster" as Robin would say! She pushed down more on the gas pedal and saw that the speedometer now read 68 miles per hour.

They were all racing to get to the finish line and save their friends.

_**YJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJ**_

What alerted Superboy and Kid Flash of their friend's arrival was not the echoing gunshots, but the sudden appearance of the Hummer vehicle flying out of the forest and into the small clearing to their right. Thirty feet from them was the Atlantean, who released the trigger in order to set in another bullet-belt, and a smiling Miss. Martian, who was still high on the adrenaline rush she felt from driving trough the jungle.

Conner raced after Wally who was laughing at the change of luck. Here was a good, sturdy military Humvee. "Where did you guys find this?" he exclaimed excitedly as he jumped into the passenger seat. Aqualad held out his hand to help pull their Kryptonian friend into the back. Miss. Martian lifted her foot from the break and drove off.

"It was waiting for us by the other building… Robin and Artemis were not there…" while the forest whizzed by them, a solemn silence swept over them. The high was gone and now the four felt the impending doom of losing their friends to Nero. It wasn't like they forgot, but the moral choices of either picking up the grenade launcher and open firing on the Elves took all of their attention away from their friends.

Guilt struck them all like a sledgehammer. Shaking his head clear of the negative air, Wally looked to M'gann and said, "We heard on the radio; Paris said that they were in the last temple, but what I can't understand is why he is suddenly helping us in this task. In the first one, it was just Nero mouthing off. Here it's like Paris doesn't like this assignment." They all agreed in this sentiment, but no one worded it out loud for a slight fear of upsetting Nero.

The stomping footfalls of the G-Trolls caught Kaldur and Conner's attention and they turned their eyes to the foliage behind the truck. Out from the night, came the stampede of five Trolls all running and full speed towards them.

Wally let out an echoing, "Oh my god!" as Miss. Martian suddenly turned the Hummer right to try and lose their trackers. No such luck; the engine gave away their location and not to mention, the creatures had good hearing to begin with.

Aqualad aimed the machine gun to the ground and began firing. Over the loud shots, he asked Superboy, "Do you know how to fire that launcher?" Conner thought on the answer for a few moments before nodding. He'd seen a few bad guys fire one of these at the team; it couldn't be that much of a challenge.

The clone of Superman rested the launcher on his right shoulder and shrugged it slightly. It was uncomfortable, but he would have to ignore it. He remembered what Wally said about the safety mechanism and pushed the locking latch all the way to the right, just like he was told and aimed at the ground right in front of the onslaught.

Taking a moment to come to terms with firing off the weapon, Superboy removed his face from the sight scope and he pulled the trigger. It was stiffer than he expected and he nearly flew back from the recoil. Smoke came from the grenade as it left the barrel and the two youths in the back watched in shock as the grenade caused the ground to fly up and sent debris everywhere. Smoke and dirt skewed the Trolls vision and one of them even fell into the small pit.

Wally looked back and supported himself via the roll bar to get a better view of the carnage behind the Humvee.

"Whoa…" was all he managed and no one else could voice their horror or amazement; they couldn't be sure what they felt at this moment. There was no sign of their followers for a couple more minutes before Kid Flash said what they were all to scared to voice in reality, "Did we actually scare off the Genomorphs?"

The G-Trolls returned back full force with the G-Elves now riding on their large backs. Superboy handed the speedster the launcher so he could try and reload the weapon as Aqualad began firing again at their enemies. Miss. Martian pushed the Hummer faster and called out a warning as they drove over a root that caused the body of the vehicle to buckle.

Wally latched his hands onto the "oh shit bar" after giving Conner back his weapon. "How much further?" he demanded to no one specifically, but a minute or two later, they finally cleared the forest and reached a large clearing that held the temple and the courtyard that showed Robin and Artemis's forms.

"They're here!" screamed Wally as he felt relief of seeing the timer proclaiming they made it to the finish line with eight minutes and thirty-nine seconds to spare. Their happiness upon seeing their teammates alive was put on hold as the Genomorphs broke through as well.

M'gann reached the bottom of the stairs and pushed down the emergency break; this caused the vehicle to abruptly stop. Everyone jolted forward, but they ignored the slight pain in their necks. Aqualad and Superboy now shifted their positions to aim their armaments towards the oncoming Trolls.

"K.F, Miss. Martian! Get up to their location and wake them! We will hold off the Genomorphs!" ordered Kaldur as he opened fired; Superboy aimed another grenade at the ground five feet ahead of the Trolls and released the second grenade.

Another explosion sounded through the air and smoke and debris confused the creatures; this was their chance! The two heroes jumped out of the Hummer and began skipping every two steps in order to reach the top faster. A few moments later, they were only mere feet from their unconscious friends and, without waiting to see if Kaldur or Conner had everything under control with the creatures, they raced the distance and pressed the red button presented to them on a console.

Both Martian and Speedster hands hit the button at the same time and it turned green to show that it accepted the action. The gunshots ceased sounding and they both assumed that the enemies stopped advancing.

The countdown stopped on the brilliant red numbers that read,

"**0:07:13"**

Now Nero finally spoke to them, _"Congratulations members of the Young Justice League! I am happy to announce that you saved your teammates before they fell into an endless sleep!"_ Wally glanced over to Megan to see if she believed his façade of joy; she didn't.

_"Now please take a step back as the containers are going to drain away the water."_ Nero warned and the two followed his suggestion. While the tanks leisurely began to bleed the blue sparkling water out from underneath the chambers, Aqualad and Superboy both walked up the stairs and stood side by side of their friends.

"What happened to the Genomorphs?" questioned the speedster with a raised eyebrow; Conner shrugged with a frown on his lips. "They just up and left. It was weird… It was like something called them away and they just up and disappeared back into the forest." He replied.

They now turned their attention back to the tubes that were almost emptied of their liquid when pressurized air suddenly shot out from the outline of the door and the panels swung open for Robin and Artemis to fly out haphazardly. Megan and Wally ran forward to catch Artemis while Kaldur and Conner did the same for Robin. The four of them checked to see if pulses were still pulsing and if air was still moving in and out from noses, but nothing was found.

Kid Flash shouted into the night air, "WHY AREN'T THEY BREATHING?" Aqualad placed Robin's form on the ground on his back and began the process of C.P.R. He pressed on the Boy Wonder's upper chest five times and paused for Conner to press his lips to the younger hero's to breathe air into him. Wally followed suit with M'gann breathing air into Artemis's lungs.

This continued for a few painstakingly tense moments before blue liquid was coughed out of their bodies with both heroes coming back to consciousness.

Miss. Martian felt tears rolling down her cheeks as she clutched Artemis close. "I'm so glad you're okay, Artemis!" she cried as sobs began rippling through her body. Artemis, who was still disoriented, did not respond, but she weakly returned the hug. Wally hugged both Martian and archer in ecstatic relief.

Robin was sandwiched between Superboy and Aqualad who were both glad he was also awake and he smiled up at them, "I guess you guys made it in time to save us non-Metahumans…" his voice was weak and sore from the coughing, but he was speaking and cracking jokes; he was okay.

Nero decided that they had enough time cuddling and churning his stomach, so he spoke up, _"Yes, you found them in time. Joy, joy! Now you all shall go back to sleep and once you return to your new home I will make sure that Robin and Artemis are double checked for any side effects from the water. Have a good night!"_

From the console where the big button was placed came the same knock out gas like before, but instead of panicking like last time, the Young Justice League huddled close together and waited for unconsciousness to claim them. It wasn't as frightening as before since just today Aqualad, Superboy, Miss. Martian and Kid Flash had to rethink their thoughts on guns in order to save Robin and Artemis whose lives were once again threatened.

Knock out gas was not as scary… Darkness took them all.

_**YJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJ**_

The Young Justice League fell unconscious before their mentor's eyes and the screen once again faded into darkness. The Justice League weren't sure if they should feel happy or upset that Superman and the others didn't find the island in time.

Red Tornado spoke, "I shall contact the Javelin Jet that the team took and inform them that the task is over." His monotone voice seemed to hold a hollow ring to it and it was almost like he was expressing his pain.

Tim looked up to Batman's face with sad eyes, "We were too late…" the last word broke slightly as tears began welling up in his eyes. The Dark Knight held his son close and left the bridge without a word. No one tried to stop him since they all had their hopes up that Superman would be able to find the Team before the task ended.

Once again, Nero taunted them with hopes and they kept foolishly accepting the cheap tricks that hurt more than any brawl with their arch nemeses.

_**YJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJ**_

**Chinese Fairy: **This is by far the largest chapter because more than 20 people reviewed the last chapter and since I was so excited, I added a few more pages. Hopefully, this chapter will entertain everyone until the next installment!

Please excuse any errors, but do not fear, my SUPER MEI MEI came back and helped me again! Thank her for a better chapter that could have been worse!

Take care and remember to PLEASE REVIEW ONCE YOU HAVE FINSIHED READING! REVIEWS AND GOOD CRITICISM MAKES MY WORLD GO ROUND! AND NOT TO MENTION, YOU GET LARGER CHAPTERS~

Take care!


	6. Chapter 6

**In the Place of Mortals**

**Chapter 6**

**Chinese Fairy:** I'm sorry that I didn't post last Friday… Family things, but hopefully this one will make up for the delayed update~

**Disclaimer:** News flash: I STILL do not own the rights to Young Justice! It belongs to Cartoon Network, D.C. Comics, and Warner Bros. I'll be screaming at the top of my lungs when I finally get the rights from all those companies, so everyone one will know the universe is coming to an end because I could never own the rights! Thanks for rubbing it in!

**Warnings:** This is the usual warning: fight scenes, blood, slight torture, curses and obscenities, the uses of chemicals, and crazy survival games. A survival game in a different kind of prison, and impending death with each intake of breath! Rated T for a reason!

**MEGA NOTE: **LADIES AND GENTLEMEN READING THIS STORY, YOU ALREADY KNOW THAT I LOVE THE BAT FAMILY AND SINCE A FEW REVIEWERS HAVE BEEN ASKING FOR JASON TO APPEAR, THE ANTI-HERO OF THE BAT FAMILY IS COMING OUT. Now, people who know his past, and know what happened to him, will already KNOW his background story, but to those that don't I will try to tell you all as much as possible without making it seem like a history lecture. ALSO KEEP IN MIND THAT THIS IS A DIFFERENT WORLD FROM NEW-EARTH, SO I CAN HAVE FUN WITH THE WAY THINGS WORK IN THIS WORLD. Those who've seen me write stories know that I already have changed around the order of our Robins. THANK YOU!

**Chinese Fairy:** If people read this, I'm wondering why? There's nothing interesting about me babbling! Go and read the story! Nero is becoming more sadistic!

_**YJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJ**_

**In the Place of Mortals**

**Chapter 6**

_**YJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJ**_

_"What the HELL do you think you're doing? You were supposed to just keep informing them of the time limit! I heard you telling them more than you should have! When you return to base, you are going to pay for your traitorous actions! DO YOU HEAR ME, PARIS?"_

Paris remained indifferent as he took the verbal beating from Nero regarding his actions in Indonesia. Sure, he answered their questions regarding the location of Artemis and Robin during the task, but that doesn't mean that he was going to be so cruel as to let them flounder around in the sick mission. "Understood, Sir Nero." was his calm reply; the pilot, who was listening to the conversation, glanced towards the ten-year-old at his left.

Nero huffed in acknowledgement and growled_, "Then I'll see you in six hours; we need to feed them, check for injuries and send them into the next task. I need them more and more ragged with each mission."_ A dark chuckle echoed through the communication machine before Nero added, _"It will give me more of an opportunity to see the extent of their strengths… Have you heard back from our acquaintance about the next mission?"_

Paris typed into the computer beside the radio, "Yes, sir. I have contacted Queen Bee and once we have completed her payment, she will send us her poison and antidote. It will be ready before the start of the task. Regarding the Catacombs, we have paid our inside man handsomely, and he has worked with another client in setting the explosives. They are ready for us." reported the child as he continued to multitask, talking to his father and confirming the next task ready for deployment.

_"Good, and this time you will not interfere!" _Snapped Nero and the line went dead. Paris turned off the radio and turned to look at the pilot, "Can we shorten the flight? We need to return home quickly." The pilot remained silent for a moment, checking his instruments before answering uneasily, "We can make it home in four hours if we accelerate our speed, but the haul might not be able to take the abuse."

Paris glanced back towards the six unconscious heroes behind him and hissed under his breath, "Make it happen; Robin and Artemis seem to be okay, but I do not want to take any chances. Radio in the base and make sure Dr. Charlotte is there. She may be needed." The youth sat down in his seat and snuggled into the plush chair; may as well rest before returning to Nero for that punishment.

_**YJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJ**_

Roy kept glaring through his sunglasses at the time framed on the wall opposite of where he was standing and wanted to curse the woman separated from him by a curtain. "Are you done yet?" he hissed at Cheshire. She rolled her eyes and replied, "Nothing has changed since the last time you asked thirty seconds ago, Sweetie." His right eye twitched at the nickname, but he didn't comment on it. _"I will not show how her sick nicknames are getting to me! She will not win!"_ he swore to himself.

He smiled and said in a soft tone, "Of course, honey. Take your time." The sound of clothes rustling paused and he smirked; he hoped she was discomforted by his words, but was thwarted when Cheshire poked her head out from the curtain and practically purred, "If you're in such a hurry, come and help me…"

Roy blatantly blanched at her suggestion and he took a step back in reflex. She laughed at his reaction and returned to trying on new clothes. "Then wait patiently for your girlfriend to finish trying on her clothes." was her last comment before she resumed checking if her casual clothes met her standards.

A few moments passed before Roy glanced at the curtains and then to his pocket. _"If there is any chance, now will be the time to phone in Ollie… even though I know it will be nothing more than an earful of yelling at me…"_ He winced at the mere mental image, but stood up from his seat against the wall.

"Cheshire, I'm going to go check out the cufflinks this store has on the second floor." he stated before leaving the assassin to herself. "See you in five, Sweetie." she called out in a singsong voice, and he stalked off before he could snap at her teasing.

Red Arrow barely noticed the racks of trendy jackets and jeans on sale; he ignored the lights bouncing off dazzling mannequins, adorned with the latest fashions for the fall season. Nothing in this absurdly high-priced boutique in Tokyo caught his attention as he made his way up a black polished stairway to the second floor.

A saleswoman noticed him coming up the stairs and opened her mouth to greet him, but Roy shook his head and held out his hand in a manner that said, "I'm fine. I do not need help." She nodded, nonetheless, at his polite refusal of help and stepped away.

The archer walked over to the cufflinks section of the area and pulled out his phone to bring it to life. Moments later, he winced at the announcement of twelve unheard messages, all from Ollie and Dinah. Sighing, Roy hit the number two button and the speed dial took over. It rang twice before Black Canary's anxious voice answered, _"Roy? Roy is that you?"_ He smiled at her urgency.

"Yes, Dinah, it's me-" he was cut off by her angry, scornful tone.

"_Why haven't you returned any of our calls? Ollie is THIS close to having a mental breakdown! With Artemis narrowly losing her life in the last task, and you missing for more than three days, he is not taking the stress well. Where are you? We'll come get you-" _Now it was Roy's turn to cut her off_._

"No, I'm following a lead with an associate right now; we may be able to locate Artemis and the others, but no one from the League should try to find me. I'm only checking in to make sure you guys are hanging in there while Nero's sick games continue."

Black Canary scoffed at his words and snapped, _"If you want to know how Oliver is, why didn't you call him instead of me?"_ He winced at her implication. "… I don't want to hear his concern for me, Dinah… You know he worries himself sick. I called you to mediate between us."

She exhaled loudly and Roy could practically see the heroine massaging the bridge of her nose to fight back an oncoming headache. _"… Fine Roy, I'll tell him you called and you're doing fine, right?"_ Quickly, he floundered over the words to describe how "fine" he was.

Dinah chuckled at his urgency to reassure her before nodding to herself, _"Alright then, this is good-bye for now, Roy. I bet you won't keep your cell phone on for us to at least track you…"_

Red Arrow chuckled and nodded, "Yeah, you can bet your motorcycle I'm turning off my phone. I can't be scaring away my acquaintance by you guys busting into our alone time together." he smirked at his own words and he could nearly see Dinah rolling her eyes.

"_Uh-huh, well… take care, Roy."_ He smiled, "You too, Dinah. Give Ollie my regards." He ended the call and turned it off.

"Done checking in?" asked a smooth voice from behind him, and Roy had to restrain himself from tensing visibly at her words. After a moment, he casually turned around and gaped at how… beautiful Cheshire looked in civilian clothes: Tight fitting jeans, with knee high black leather boots, and a green blouse under a forest green bomber jacket. Her hair was still tussled, which made her look more appealing- Roy wanted to smash his head into the nearest wall.

"_No way in HELL do I find her attractive!"_ he chastised himself mentally, but his outward appearance didn't falter, "Yeah, had to check in with my mother. Been gone for a few days, she's wondering where I am." His weak explanation didn't fool Cheshire, but this was one thing she didn't find herself toying with.

"Oh? What did you tell her? You're prancing around the world with your girlfriend?" she asked coyly; it wasn't considered teasing or toying since she could have asked worse questions than that. He nodded and took a step into her personal bubble, "Yeah, I said I was going to elope with a woman I met only two months ago… she wants to disown me." His voice had lowered to a whisper and once he was done lying, he pulled back,

"Wanna marry me?"

She laughed, but not really the cruel sound she usualy made. It sounded... girlish; something Roy thought she could never do, and replied in the same quiet voice, "Maybe when we hit the tenth or twelfth date, I need to see if you can be broken in as a husband for me." They found humor in the insane idea of being anything more than enemies, but the pure absurdity of the hypothetical future was something that at least lifted their down spirits.

"Come on, let's pay for this stuff and get out of here." He nodded towards her attire and turned to walk down the checkout booth, but Cheshire stopped him; she linked their arms together and sighed airily, "Already paid for it while you were being disowned by your mother. We have to hurry and get a train from here to Minato." He shot her a look that said he didn't believe her, but he didn't push it.

As they made their way down the stairs, he asked, "Where's Minato?" She replied over her shoulder, "It's a ward south of our location. Basically, Tokyo is one city, but broken up into twenty-three 'special wards'. When we get to Minato, we have to go to a place called Odaiba. You'll know we're there when you see a giant Ferris wheel and a bridge that lights up. It's called the Rainbow Bridge."

Roy did not argue or struggle as Cheshire led him out of the fancy clothing store and into the bustling streets of Akihabara, a well-known commercial center of Chiyoda ward. She was making a beeline for the Akihabara Station; from there, the two fighters took the Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line taking them from that ward to another station called Hamamatsuchō Station in Minato. From there, they walked the rest of the way to meet their one last chance of finding the Young Justice League.

_**YJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJ**_

Tim finally cried himself to sleep and this was the one chance Batman had to send his son home away from the commotion of locating the Young Justice League and, mainly, Dick.

He gently scooped the child into his arms and made his way out of the empty room to the Zeta-Beam center. When he walked into the transporter room, The Dark Knight was not surprised to see Superman already bringing the device to life, "I thought you might take the first chance to send him home."

Batman didn't respond as he walked to the platform and allowed his son and himself to be scanned. "Recognized, Batman 02, Robin III B08." stated the computerized female voice and the two disappeared without any real words being passed between Clark and Bruce.

Superman smiled. "It can wait until he returns," he said to himself, before flying out of the transporter bay.

The Bat Cave lit up like a sunny day for a few seconds as the Zeta-Beam device came to life on that end and brought Batman and Tim back home. The trip back to Earth did not seem to stir Tim; he just nestled his head deeper into his father's neck. Batman smiled down at his third son and walked over to the same supercomputer he found Tim sitting in front of two days ago.

When he sat down in his seat, he faintly heard Alfred coming down the stone stairs. He didn't acknowledge the older man as he quietly placed another tray of coffee and warm milk down onto a cart, but focused on the system coming life.

With Tim snuggled in one arm, Batman had to start up the software that would allow him to open a radio channel with someone he hadn't spoke to in a few months.

The depicted sound waves signified the phone on the other line ringing, and on the fourth ring, a gruff voice snapped, _"What do you want?"_ Alfred's moustache twitched in amusement and Batman allowed the corner of his mouth to rise, "I guess you never bothered putting in caller I.D…"

A moment passed before the man's voice snapped again, _"Oh, I knew it was you, but that doesn't mean I can't be grouchy, seeing as how you woke me up!"_

The Dark Knight frowned at the short-tempered attitude and the man must have sensed it, noticeably reeling in his sleep-deprived tone, _"So, what do I owe the pleasure of this phone call, Dad?"_ Exhaling, The Dark Knight removed his cowl and his gloved hand covered his eyes, exhausted. "Jason, you've seen the videos; you know why I'm calling you." There was an underlining tone of fatigue in Bruce's voice, which stopped any retort Jason had at the ready.

Jason "Todd" Wayne didn't speak for another couple minutes before saying, _"This never happened when he was in Gotham… why the Hell are you sending these kiddies into situations that have them spirited away the second you check on them?"_ There was no bite in the words, but Jason was not one to sugar coat anything.

He was "right between the eyes" regarding honesty with any topic or situation.

Bruce closed his eyes and answered almost wearily, "They were on a standard mission, retrieving stolen goods, only to be ambushed-" Jason cut him off to yell back in retort, _"By a son of a bitch who boasts about being anti-Metahuman, and he does it by sucking my brother into his piece of shit games in order to prove Birdie and Blondie are better than the super powered teens. Excuse me if I'm not invested in observing this test!"_

Alfred quirked an eyebrow at the nicknames given to Robin and Artemis before gently piping in, "Language, Master Jason; Master Timothy is in the cave as well," An awkward moment passed, _"Umm, sorry Tim."_ The boy didn't respond, and the eldest son of Bruce Wayne groaned, _"Five bucks says he's asleep, Alfred! You can only scold me when he's coherent!"_

Jason exhaled in exasperation before asking, _"You're not calling me to see how I'm coping with my brother being kidnapped, again, so what do you want?"_ Bruce sensed an almost bitter note in his voice, but didn't comment on it. "I need you to watch Tim while I'm up at the Watchtower. He's working himself into unconsciousness and that can't happen."

The twenty-year-old shuffled around on his side of the conversation and scoffed, _"Why not just sedate the little kid? It works well enough despite being a genuine genius… put it in his milk."_ Alfred cleared his throat and Jason sighed again; exasperated, _"Sorry! It's not like I hate the kid or anything, but you've gotta know that he now has a taste for heroics at the age of 5. Not only did you let the kid see the Watchtower before Dick or me, but you also allowed him to help you look for Dick. What makes you think I'm going to be able to do any better than you or Alfred? I mean, the kid's only talked to me over the phone. He doesn't know me as well as Dick."_

Bruce smirked, "Are you nervous about finally meeting your youngest brother, Jason?" A second passed before the younger man began yelling, _"I'M NOT NERVOUS ABOUT MEETING THE SQUIRT! WHERE DID YOU COME UP WITH THAT IDEA, DETECTIVE? FROM THE WORLD OF DREAMS?"_ His raised voice finally snapped Tim out of his light sleep and the boy mumbled, "What's… going on?"

Jason muttered, _"Great, the squirt's awake now,"_ without any cue from Bruce or Alfred, he continued in a slight louder voice, _"Hey, Tim. It's me, Jason… How ya doing?"_ Tim smiled, despite his rude awakening and replied in a drowsy tone, "I've been better. Have you heard about what happened to Dick?"

The two continued the back and forth small talk, before the elder brother finally broke up the small talk, _"Alright, alright. Listen up squirt, Bats wants you to chill with me for a couple days since you're working yourself down. I'm not going to lie, I bet you're still going to try and help him find Dick, but at least if you're with me, you can let Dad concentrate on finding Dick, instead of wondering if you're going to keel over from overworking your shrimpy five-year-old brain."_ This was the moment of truth, to see if Tim was going to accept the new change or if was he going to fight tooth and nail to stay with their father.

"Fine, but I hope you know that I will keep trying to find Dick; even if I have to do it all on my own. I'm not going to give up just because Papa hands me over to a non-registered babysitter with the traits of someone needing a constant caffeine fix to avoid Godzilla-sized tantrums." The cave fell silent before Jason's sudden laughter echoed off the cave walls; moments ticked by with nothing but his laughter as the only noise, before Jason said, _"I could really get used to the squirt, if he's like this."_

Alfred stepped in at that moment and said, "Maser Timothy, why don't we go upstairs and prepare a bag for when Master Jason comes and picks you up. I'm sure Master Jason doesn't want to stay here." It wasn't that Alfred or Bruce didn't want Jason at the manor, but the young man had clearly stated in the past that he didn't like the feel of the Wayne mansion.

Of course not; he preferred the cold, dank, dangerous feel of Blüdhaven.

Tim nodded in consent to Alfred and took the elder man's hand to help him off his father's lap and up the stairs. After their echoing steps faded, and Bruce was sure that the clock that hid the entrance to the Bat Cave was closed, his calm demeanor changed, "Are you sure you can handle taking care of him?"

Jason's reply was out of character-calm, _"You wouldn't even have bothered brining me into what is considered League business unless you already knew you could trust me. You know me, Bruce. I may have gone through a bad time in the past and closed off a lot of connections to people I once knew, but you and Alfred never closed me out of your lives._

"I also know Dick. He still accepts me even though I did all those terrible things, and even though Tim doesn't know my history with… all my acquaintances… he can't be such a bad kid if you and Dick like him. Another amazing thing is that you trust him with your secret identities. That alone tells me he is part of the family, a younger brother for me and visa versa for him; I'll take care of him, Bruce."

Bruce smiled, despite the weight of his son's confession; Jason had changed from the teenager filled with hate into a good man… even if he was a good man with a lot of mistakes, Jason knew he wasn't perfect, but that made him all the more precious to his father. All that made Jason "Todd" Wayne who he was, was what made Bruce Wayne love his son.

"_See you in a couple hours, Dad."_ There was no attitude in the term of endearment like before, and the conversation ended.

Bruce leaned back into his seat and felt the fatigue and weariness seep into his body. He felt so tired… Unconsciously, his blue eyes searched for five items that Tim took it upon himself to tape onto his console: over the years, Alfred had taken five pictures at each of his sons' requests.

One was with Jason and Bruce; they were standing in front of the manor with Jason yelling at the camera, "I'm home!" and his adoptive father was smiling at his juvenile antics. The second was of Dick, Jason and Bruce, all unmasked, in the Bat Cave with grins and Jason was holding up a newspaper that proclaimed, "Joker tucked away at Arkham".

The third was of a ten-year-old Dick holding a four-year-old Tim in the youngest boy's room; their smiles were just as dazzling as the sun. The fourth one was of Tim in a red Robin suit with black gloves and boots and a yellow cape; the suit was sewn together by Alfred and the child was showing off his own Robin costume. The fifth and final one was of both Robins sitting in Batman's chair in the cave.

"_My sons…"_ thought Bruce as he returned his gaze to the monitor and began typing in commands that would bring up more potential criminals with an insurmountable amount of money at his disposal and capable of setting up each very expensive task.

_**YJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJ**_

In Blüdhaven, where a fall evening felt as cold and dark as a winter's night, Jason ended the phone call with his father and picked up another phone he had perched on his nightstand and dialed in ten digit phone number; he waited for his intended caller to answer.

A few rings and a man answered his call, _"Why young Jason… what a surprise to hear from you."_ The man had an aged tone and his wisdom could be heard over the phone; this caused Jason to scowl, "I'd prefer to never speak to you again, Ra's al Ghul, but beggars can't be choosers. You owe me for what you and your daughter did to me when you helped me create Red Hood, and now you can repay me by helping me find my brother, Robin."

A moment passed and in that time, Jason could feel the guilt that surged through Ra's and his own soul. Flashbacks of pain, torment, anger, resentment, and hatred filled the oldest son of Bruce Wayne and he had to take a slow deep breath to ensure he didn't snap at the older man in rage.

"_Jason Todd is dead and he will never come back!" echoed the Joker's voice. He was mocking Batman and Jason…_

_Jason Todd died that day._

_Ra's al Ghul's voice spoke out in his flashbacks, "I am sorry Detective, I did not mean to cause more grief than I already have…" It was not Ra's al Ghul's fault that Jason died at the age of eighteen, but it was his fault in trying to bring him back for Batman's sake; for the detective's sake. A split second mental image showed a dark cave illuminated by green ethereal light and a small body of water that bubbled like a cauldron brewing: a Lazarus Pit; a place where dead people go in and come out alive._

_The Lazarus Pit was the same reason that Ra's al Ghul had been able to live throughout the centuries._

_A distance feeling of pain and torment while being swallowed by the green water, it could almost be a vague idea of what it would feel like to enter the pit while still alive. Jason emerged from the body of water insane and crazed. He ran away from everything in connection to that hellhole Ra's al Ghul visited for immortality and slowly, he morphed into the serial killer that haunted Blüdhaven, killing all those who did wrong in his eyes._

_Jason Todd evolved from the first Robin to the Red Hood._

_Since Robin was a brand new sidekick and not many people had seen him, and since Robin never left Gotham City, the young hero who was Jason was erased from existence. Things changed when Dick took up the Robin suit and became the first Robin recognized as the Boy Wonder, alongside The Batman._

_Suddenly, flickering pictures of seeing Batman and Robin, Dick, his younger brother, coming towards him; trying to stop him, help him, Jason, from killing people. Robin was injured in the struggle between Batman and Red Hood and with that injury, returned a violent, but sane Jason "Todd" Wayne. The injury of someone he cared about acted as his wake up call from the nightmare of killing fourteen people for the crimes they had committed._

_Jason Todd died and so did the Red Hood. Now Jason "Todd" Wayne came back from that bleak insanity._

_Horrified by what he had become, Jason disappeared from existence, hid himself from the world, and become a ghost living in Blüdhaven, away from the people he called family. Dick forgave him, Alfred forgave him, and Bruce forgave him. They were going to trust him enough to leave Tim in his care; and from what he could tell, the kid had enough spunk to keep up with his charming personality._

Jason snapped out of his thoughts, mixed with his distorted memories, and let out an involuntary gasp, "Wh-What, Ra's? Sorry, wasn't listening; I was thinking of all the pain my younger brother is going through right now." It was a defensive statement that made Ra's al Ghul understand where Jason's mindset was.

"_What can I do to help you?" _was what the crime lord asked. Jason got up from the bed and began putting on a shirt and jeans scattered across the floor.

"I need you to use your vast connections to find out where the next Test of Mortals is going to be held. I'm sure you know what it is, so I don't need to give you a synopsis of that shitty online show." Ra's clicked his tongue on the top of his mouth and said,_ "Jason, there is no need for crude language. I will help you locate the next place for the Test of Mortals."_

Smirking, Jason replied, "Thanks, I wasn't sure if you were going to help me or not, seeing as how I could be considered a failure to you and your Lazarus Pit."

Ra's al Ghul remained silent before saying in a grave voice, _"I am sorry for what I put you through, young Jason, I truly am. That is why I will help you locate Robin's next mission. Unfortunately, I am not sure if I can locate where the man holding him hostage is."_ Shrugging, Jason said nonchalantly, _"That's fine, I only want my brother back, I'll save him and only him. I don't care about the others he's with."_

He picked up his motorcycle keys and made his way to the freight elevator, "Call me at this number when you find the place." He may have been pushing it by giving Ra's al Ghul orders, but he didn't care.

Chuckling at the order, the eco-terrorist asked, _"Shall I also fly you to the destination?"_ This in turned cause Jason to chuckle, "Don't tempt me, Ra's. I might take you up on that offer."

Another contender in the race to find the Young Justice League, albeit with a twisted goal, Jason sat into place on his streaked black and red motorcycle and clipped his helmet in place. Revving his baby to life, he flew out of the warehouse acting as his home and sped off into the night, with Wayne Manor as his finish line. _"Don't worry, Dick. Regardless of how many people end up dying, I will find you."_

_**YJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJ**_

When shuteyes slowly opened to take in the world around, Wally was quite surprised to find himself already in the designated lounge room that they were all used to taking their meals in. He blinked back the induced sleep and found that Artemis was nestled into his right side. He smiled in relief that she was still with the team. He glanced over and saw that M'gann was holding onto Robin's arm.

Wally's green eyes found Conner sitting on Artemis's other side as well; he held her hand in a way to make sure she wouldn't leave again. When he looked back to Robin, he noticed that Kaldur also held the younger hero by the hand. _"We are all making sure that we don't lose them again. I can only hope the next mission will have us all together instead of apart."_ he thought, and hoped it was a wish that could be granted.

The others also started coming around to the land of consciousness and groggily stretched out their cramped limbs. "When did we all decide to crash on couches?" asked Artemis as she massaged her sore throat with her fingers.

Robin stood up from his place in between Kaldur and M'gann and offered while cracking stiff joints, "Maybe we were placed here instead of our rooms because the orderlies got lazy." His comment had everyone grinning and before another word could be passed throughout the team, a door slid open and Paris limped into the room.

Everyone was shocked when they saw the youth had a black eye forming around his left eye, his right arm was wrapped in medical gauze, and even though there wasn't any sign of injury, his right leg was limping. Paris didn't seem to notice their wide-eyed staring, or he just ignored them and continued shuffling towards the group.

"Good evening. Or should I say good morning? I am sure you are all aware of Nero's contentment at your success in the last mission. And do not worry; our own Doctor Charlotte, who is our stay-in physician, has medically cleared you all. We now have the next mission scheduled and here is the agenda for the next eight hours." He was holding a clipboard that foretold the timetable.

"You all will eat and rest for the next hour and a half. If you wish to watch a television show or movie, please inform me while you are eating and I will try and obtain it for you. After that hour and a half, you will be prepped and sent to the next location for the next task. Sir Nero asks that you continue to cooperate with his tasks and once you complete the last mission, you will be released and he will turn himself in." Paris continued speaking about unimportant subjects. It may have been because she was not used to humans and their customs, but M'gann titled her head to one side.

"_It is as if he is rambling,"_ she concluded mentally. Her eyes took in Paris's injured body and zeroed in on his left hand; it twitched every other second. Hesitantly, she stepped closer to the child and pulled him into a hug that cut off any words the boy had to say. Everyone was startled by her action, but Paris depicted his confusion perfectly.

His eyes widened in shock and his mouth opened and closed without voicing any syllable. M'gann continued hugging him as she spoke gently, "I'm sorry that you were hurt… was it because you helped us?" Paris finally found his voice and he whispered almost inaudibly, "Don't…"

The female Martian didn't let go of the child, "It must be hard doing this to us, I'm sorry for that as well." The ten-year-old began trembling as he responded, "Y-You'll get hurt if you keep saying these things, Miss. Martian…"

The only warning everyone received was the crackling sound like before; Robin paled at the terrifying realization. "NO! Don't hurt her!" he shouted up towards the camera in the corner of the room, but it was too late. Kaldur and Conner stepped forward to separate the child and their friend before the current of torture started.

Aqualad pulled Paris into his arms as Superboy clung onto M'gann as her collar unleashed the 50,000 volts that caused her to convulse violently in his arms. Like Robin from the last incident, her legs gave way from the voltage and she screamed in agony. Artemis wanted to help her friend, but Wally kept her at bay; he was the only one who noticed that the current of electricity was also affecting Conner. The clone was wincing from the residual shocks that transitioned from her body to his.

Thirty seconds passed painstakingly slow and once they ended, so did the current. M'gann and Conner fell to the floor and Artemis ran over to her friend's side, pulling the Martian into her arms. "M'gann! M'gann, are you alright?" Mentally, the archer scolded herself and she wanted to slap a hand to her forehead. Of course she wasn't all right; a damn collar had just electrocuted her!

Bottom lips trembling from the pain and tremors, the heroine just nodded and clung onto Artemis's arms. Wally and Robin helped Superboy up from the floor and Paris gently untangled himself from Kaldur's arms.

"I…you cannot touch me. It is something that Sir Nero will not tolerate. Please remember this in the future." His voice broke at the end and Robin saw right through those words. "_It's not that he has that rule in place or that Nero doesn't-_" the teenager came to a conclusion, "_The rule is there..._" because there would forever be a gap between the team and the child, so no one could escape from Nero.

Exhaling a held breath, the young boy walked over to the table and pressed a button on the tabletop. Two doors slid open to allow four other adults access into the lounge room; they were all dressed in Paris's white wardrobe that reached from their necks to the tips or their fingers all the way down to their white shoes. None of them registered the heroes as they pushed steel metal trays into the room and began placing dishes on the table.

Delectable dishes ranging from rich, creamy vegetable soup, to another kind of stew filled with potatoes, meat and thick broth, more long grain rice with a different kind of curry that smelled vaguely of Indian spices, freshly baked bread with an assortment of cheeses, and a thick chocolate cake. Beverages were set in by one of the servers; they ranged from orange juice, water, sodas, and milk.

There were two girls and two boys, but the only reason you could tell they were the specified genders was their bone structure. All four people had no hair on their heads. Their statures were all the same; that included height, weight, and posture. Their eyes were cobalt blue and their lips were pale red. Those were the features of the generic beings, which unsettled the group with one question, "Were they clones? Or were they just unlucky souls trapped in this prison too?"

No one from the Young Justice League spoke on the matter; if they brought it up or spoke out, then their bracers would punish them just like it did to Robin and M'gann. No, they were being told through every little thing in this prison, "Look at all the injustice in this place and there is nothing you can do about it. Not only are your lives on the line, but other people as well, who you don't even know."

Nero was being painstakingly unsubtle.

"Come, let us eat and rest for the next task." Aqualad ushered gently as he began walking towards the dining table. Everyone followed him with stiff movements, especially M'gann, who was being helped to her seat by the archer of the team.

They took their same seats from the first two meals and tucked in without a word. Utensils gently clattered against the fine plates and beverages were served and passed around; it could have been a proper meal, if it weren't for the dreary cloud of helplessness. The food smelled wonderful, but nothing could be tasted. Superboy swallowed down a piece of meat from the stew, but he didn't really taste the beef.

Artemis took another bite of bread and when she tried to swallow it, the piece stuck in her throat and it seemed to almost suffocate her as it passed through her system to her stomach.

The drinks eased parched thirsts, but it didn't really give the satisfaction of the drink. Almost like having room temperature water on a hot summer day; it relieved you of thirst, but it didn't satisfy you. The meal continued on in silence. No one spoke, unless asking for a specific dish to be passed, and even then it was in a murmured voice.

"What movie would we choose for movie night if we were home?" Wally's question startled everyone, and the action of eating paused momentarily. He smiled in encouragement and continued his words, "Artemis and I chose action for our genre and if I won the rock, paper, scissors game, I would've chosen 'Speed'. The movie about the bomb on the bus, you know?"

Artemis smirked at him and replied, "I was going to make us watch that movie 'S.W.A.T'… the one with the jerk offering money to be broken out of prison."

Robin grinned and spoke up, "I wanted to watch 'Sherlock Homes'; the one with Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law. Last time I saw it was with my brother last year."

Superboy cracked a small smile and said, "Green Arrow said that the movie 'Sahara' was a good movie and that I should watch it. I was going to pick that one."

Megan giggled and added in her opinion, "I chose comedy and thought that maybe 'The Proposal' with that actress, Sandra Bullock, would be an amusing movie. It also has romance, so according to Artemis, that makes it better." The girls smiled to one another in amusement.

Kaldur also smiled as he finished the round of confessions, "When I was younger, I happened to come to the surface world during the holiday, Halloween, and that was when I met the Flash," Wally grinned at their leader, "and he was talking about a dreary tale about a headless horsemen who rode a horse throughout paths looking for this head after a cannonball removed it from his neck during a war. He said that I had to be careful, because for all I knew, I could be mistaken for a man called Ichabod Crane and the horseman would follow me for my head."

His smile turned into something like an evil smirk, "That is why, if I won the battle of rock, paper, scissors, I would have had us watch 'Sleepy Hallow'." Wally let out a long, dramatic "ooooooh" sound, similar to the moaning ghosts from scary movies and then cried out, "That can't be considered a scary movie! I bet I can come up with a better one!"

His statement caused a small debate over scary movies to begin and Paris tuned out the discussion to simply take in their expressions. Kaldur and Superboy held passive faces, but face lines of happiness were breaking through their façade, and after a moment they joined in the light laughter.

Artemis and Wally were the loudest; bickering like an old married couple, with Wally getting hit in the arm by the said archer for every horror title he threw out into the conversation. Robin laughed and M'gann giggled into her orange juice as Wally boomed out to Artemis another movie and she dramatically rolled her eyes.

"_How odd… they were miserable and sad one moment and the next, they are capable of being highly animated by a simple conversation of movies."_ Subtly, he turned his body away from them and pressed against the communicator in his ear, "Yes, procure me all of the movies that they were speaking of just now. Thank you." He finished stating his request and turned back to the teenagers showing Paris first hand that even if the situation is bleak and dismal, that doesn't mean you have to let that pain consume you.

_**YJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJ**_

The cafeteria of the Watchtower was in a darkened state; several heroes were silent in sympathy for their allies. Most of the original seven were sitting at their own table exuding a gray atmosphere. Green Arrow's shoulders were sagged in a fatigue that everyone shared. His coffee was abandoned and forgotten in his hands, and he wished for something stronger. Alcohol stronger.

The Flash and Wonder Woman were sitting on Oliver's sides looking tired and anxious from the four-day nightmare plaguing them all. Barry removed his mask and allowed the dark purple rings under his eyes to be seen. Every time he nodded off for sleep, he woke up minutes later from the nightmare of a deceased Wally and an unforgiving Iris cursing him for not saving her nephew. His fingers tightened on his soda can.

The Green Lanterns, Hal Jordan and John Stewart, both sat opposite of Barry and Oliver; they did not have sidekicks or young partners in the corps. You were either chosen a Lantern, or you weren't. In a way, John could be considered Hal's protégé since he was the second human chosen to protect this star system, but neither ever viewed it like that. They only had an idea of what their friends were going through and all they could do was offer support when the chance arrived.

Lastly, Superman sat at the last seat of the table. His eyes were zoomed onto the table top, counting every grain of salt he found. He was at twenty-three when he realized it wasn't helping. He shifted his gaze to his coffee, which had long gone cold, and heaved a small sigh. Superboy was still in the Test of Mortals and only now that he was gone, did Clark realize that the boy's company wasn't so bad. Sure, Conner was moody, but when he spent time with Ma and Pa over in Smallville, that brooding attitude went away.

Conner had only been there a few times, but those visits made him feel more connected to Clark and in a way eased the tension from them both. _"I miss the kid,"_ he thought sadly and his shoulders slumped, a sign of defeat. He glanced up at the clock hanging over the doorway and contemplated, _"How long is left on the timer now?"_ His scattered thoughts could not keep track of Nero's countdown this time and guilt now replaced his unease.

While the cafeteria was silent and unnerved, the bridge was no better. Aquaman, Martian Manhunter and Black Canary were tending to the information gathered in the last two missions and trying to connect the dots. J'onn was using one of the large screens to try and hypothesize the flights from Indonesia in a time line with the hours Nero made the League wait. There were over twenty choice locations that could have made that trip in the allotted time.

His eyes darted back to the other large screen that showed off those same red numbers that taunted the entire League the last time.

"**06:23:19"**

It was going to be a long wait… again.

Aquaman tried to watch the videos of the last test in order to find any specific symbol on a temple wall or a discarded artifact that could lead them to finding the place and hopefully getting a clue out of that theory. Five minutes into the video, the King had to stop because it was too painful to see his vuerd'ah struggling. He sank back into the seat he was perched in and gently closed his eyes; the whirs and clicks of the computer ambience lulled him into an uncomfortable rest state, but it was better than falling asleep to the nightmarish hell of finding Kaldur dead.

A cell phone's ringing brought him back to reality and he turned to see Dinah picking up her cell phone and her eyes widening in disbelief. She snapped it open and said quickly, "Roy? Roy is that you?"

This turn of events had both men out of their seats and stepping closer to her side. They heard from Oliver that Roy hadn't checked in for the past few days and even though the archer didn't comment on it, they rest of the League knew that he was slowly losing his mind with his protégé kidnapped and his son was missing.

Black Canary didn't even give Red Arrow a second to respond to her previous question before she snapped, "Why haven't you returned any of our calls? Ollie is THIS close to having a mental break down! With Artemis narrowly losing her life in the last task and you missing for more than three days, he is not taking the stress well. Where are you? We'll come get you-"

If this were happening at another time when lives weren't on the line, it would have been a comical sight. She paused her scolding when Roy cut her off; her posture was posed in a way that suggested she was trying to hold back a Canary Cry of frustration. After fifteen seconds, she scoffed and replied in the same frustrated tone, "If you want to know how Oliver is, why didn't you call him instead of me?"

Right about now, her calm composure that everyone had become accustomed to was gone and replaced by the aggravated wish to have Artemis and Roy back in their lives. In an odd sense, Oliver and Dinah saw both teenagers as their own children.

Roy must have said something that caused her to exhale all of her pent up anger and she replied in a resigned tone, "… Fine Roy, I'll tell him you called and you're doing fine, right?" she chuckled as it faintly sounded like he was stumbling for words on the other end of the conversation. She nodded to herself; "Alright then, this is good-bye for now, Roy. I bet you won't keep your cell phone on for us to at least track you…" He replied something that caused Dinah to roll her eyes.

"Uh-huh, well… take care, Roy." With parting words, she closed the phone closed and Dinah had to contemplate whether or not this was a good or bad advancement of events.

King Orin walked over to her side and placed a hand on her shoulder, "How are you holding up, Dinah?" She shrugged her shoulders in indecision and replied quietly, almost whispered the words, "I'm not really sure…" Offering a small smile, Black Canary added, "I'm going to tell Oliver of Roy's call." She excused herself and exited the control room. Neither hero followed her; they made eye contact and both agreed to give her time to herself.

_**YJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJ**_

"Rock, paper, scissors!" called out Conner and Kaldur and their hands both showed their guesses. Superboy's hand was in a fist representing a rock and Kaldur's was open to show he chose paper. Robin and Wally crowed out cries of mock defeat and the girls were nestled on the couch to the left of the hand battle, smiling at the silly dorks they had as family members.

Conner slumped into his seat by Robin and Wally, as Kaldur'ahm moved over to the DVD player that Paris had procured for his movie "Sleepy Hallow". It was plugged into a television placed in the wall and the movie menus screen appeared for Robin to click the play button and the Atlantean stepped back and joined his team on the couches as the film began.

Paris dimmed the lights for the enjoyment of his father's captives and clicked on his communicator, "They are going to finish this movie, regardless of what Sir Nero says. I will take full responsibility. Do not disturb them under any circumstances." he ordered to whoever was on the other end, and he stepped out of the makeshift lounge room and strolled down the same hallway he had lead Robin and Artemis down for the previous task.

At one intersection, he turned left instead of right like the last time and made his way to one room on the right hand side of the corridor. Paris entered his room and took in the bland surroundings. A pure white bed with perfectly made sheets, a mahogany desk with files neatly placed on a rack. No toys, no fun, nothing in this room was there for his entertainment, but for the work he did for his father.

Waiting until the automatic door slid shut, he turned his gaze back to his desk and opened the bottom draw. He revealed a sleek black lock box that looked liked it could hold either a handgun or a detonator to explosives. The air it exuded was not welcoming. Paris typed in a four-digit code and it hissed open to reveal a silver flip phone.

Taking it into his hand, the youth pressed on the number two button and hit the call button. Waiting a few seconds, his call was answered, _"Hello?"_

The ten-year-old spoke in a monotone voice, "Ra's al Ghul, I hope that I am not disturbing you from anything at the moment."

A tense moment passed before the elder man replied almost warmly, _"When I gave you the phone during my last meeting with your father, I wasn't sure if you were going to actually use it. I suppose this is a signal that you are finally reaching the end of your patience for your father's abusive behavior."_ That hurt; Paris outwardly winced at the ugly words.

Of course he was sick and tired of his father using him as a punching bag when something disrupted father- _Nero's_ plans, _"But he is still my father…"_ he thought dismally. Shaking his head to clear the conflicting emotions away, Paris replied in a tone he hoped sounded as calm as he wanted it to, "Maybe. I'm not entirely sure. I am calling you now because you were only told of the first two tasks. I'm here to update you of the third one… as a sign of my cooperation with you, and no one else. I am only working with you, Ra's al Ghul."

A smile could be heard in the man's voice, _"That is fine, young Paris. Please, tell me of the third task. I am intrigued by your father's attempt at proving a fruitless trial by fire."_

Paris began explaining what was to be expected of the Young Justice Team to the man who earned his respect as a true mastermind, who had followers that would gladly give their lives for their master. _"People who work for my father give their lives for fear of his retribution if they didn't."_

He was included in the latter group.

_**YJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJ**_

As the credits rolled down the television, signaling the end of the movie Robin spoke up, "Hey, weren't we on a schedule that had us on a plane fifteen minutes ago?" They all paused mid-stretch in order to gauge the time on the clock opposite of the T.V and the DVD player still ticking by the seconds and minutes.

Kaldur spoke up, "It is true that we should have departed for the next task, but Paris did not come back to collect us." Standing up, Wally made his way over to the dining table to pick up his glass of soda before offering, "Maybe Nero changed something in the flight schedule?"

Shrugs and uncertain looks passed around the team, but before anyone could throw out another idea, Paris limped into the opening doors and into the lounge room. "I apologize for my delay. We will now be taking our leave, follow me." He walked back out through the same doorway and the team followed without any resistance.

It seemed like the same path they took for the first mission on behalf of Nero, but who could tell with all the hallways and corridors looking the same? A few minutes passed with no sound besides shoes tapping on the ground as feet continued walking onward.

A slight difference caught the teenagers off guard when they entered Hanger One and found six quickly constructed stalls in a perfect row twenty feet from the stealth jet that was their mode of transportation. Paris led them to the stalls and turned to face his guests. "I requested to Sir Nero that you all were given better clothes since yours have all become tattered and dirtied by the last missions, and you have not been permitted to change or shower."

His face hinted at guilt, but it could have been something else, "Sir Nero promised me that you could shower when you returned, but for now you are allowed to change your clothing. I was not allowed to procure anything you are accustomed to, so Sir Nero has sent over the new clothes for you."

He pulled back a blue curtain that hid away the inside of the stalls that showed a clean pair of pants, a new shirt, socks, underwear, and boots were offered. "Before sending you all into the next task, I will be handing you all jackets that will prevent you all from becoming too cold in the new arena."

Wally and Artemis shared a look, _"Did he just hint at what to expect from this mission?"_ They couldn't answer that question, so all they could do was listen for anything else the boy would indulge.

"Each stall also has a small bag that you will all carry in order to combat obstacles in your path." Another hint: look in the bag now to see what was offered as clues for the impending doom. Paris cleared his throat slightly and requested, "Aqualad, the first stall is yours and, in order after him, Kid Flash, Artemis, Miss. Martian, Robin, and the last stall, Superboy. You have five minutes to change while the jet is preparing for take off."

The youth left them unattended while they changed privately.

The heroes did as they were told and entered their specified booths. All of them hurried to change in order to give themselves enough time to see what was inside their offered bags; nothing much was given: a bottle of water, a medical inhaler, two pills, and a flashlight. This told them nothing of what they were to expect.

Sighing in resignation, they stepped back out into the open space. Everyone wore the same black cargo pants and mid calf black boots that were sturdy and strong. This was another clue: they were going to be in a place that needed the tractions given by boots.

Their shirts were solid colors that respectively replaced their hero attires. Wally had a yellow shirt; Artemis wore a green one, Robin and Kaldur had on red tops that were different by the Atlantean wearing a darker red than the younger teenager's. M'gann was wearing a white shirt while Conner wore a black top.

Paris stepped down from the ramp with six windbreakers tucked in his arms. He offered one to each teenager and asked, "Do you all have your bags?" Nods confirmed that they did and he turned to walk back up the ramp.

The same seats waited for their passengers and with stiff motions, each hero sat back down in their designated places and all mentally sighed in defeat when the ramp closed behind them; they were trapped once again. The small amount of happiness given to them by the movie was gone and now all they had now were the straps of their seats. The pilot and copilot began talking about taking off in five minutes.

This gave Paris enough time to prepare the syringes on the desk and began distributing them like last time. He started with Kaldur and M'gann and moved onto Wally and Artemis, and finally he made it Conner and injected him. He was surprised to find that the hero was glaring, but he didn't resist like the last two times. With the team back together, maybe he would be calmer.

As the ten-year-old boy made his way to pick up Robin's syringe from the desk, Superboy was already nodding off when Paris murmured something under his breath to the Boy Wonder before the needle broke skin and he pushed down on the plunger. "Méfiez-vous de les oussuaires."

Robin blinked up at the youth for two reasons, one was because the kid just spoke French and two because he just said something that shocked and confused him. _"He just said something pertaining to the next mission! …What did he mean by, 'beware of the ossuaries'?"_ Before he could think anymore about what Paris meant by his warning, he fell asleep for the long journey.

_**YJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJ**_

Jason saw his phone flickering red; it was a sign of an incoming phone call. He pushed down on a button on the outside of his phone and answered from inside his helmet, "Jason here," he said while taking a turn too sharp for him to be speeding through it at forty miles per hour.

It was Ra's al Ghul, _"I know where the next mission will be in, but you will have to hurry if you want to reach there in time to save Robin and his friends."_ Jason scoffed; he wasn't going to save "his friends"; the other teenagers meant nothing to him. He wanted Robin home with Bruce and safe from Nero. Keeping this to himself, he asked back, "Where and when does it start?" His blue eyes caught sight of Wayne Manor up ahead and he revved the engine of his bike to alert Bruce of his arrival.

The older man chuckled and replied, _"It is happening in Paris, France in five hours. You will need to borrow one of my planes to be able to make it over there in time to save them. Unless you would like to be two hours late to save your brother."_ Jason zoned out Ra's al Ghul as he thought of the best way to procure a flying mode of transportation without taking the terrorist up on the offer of a fast jet.

He smirked evilly, _"Bruce is going to hate me after this one,"_ his thoughts were already mirroring the same frequency as his smirk. He answered the waiting man on the other line, "Thanks, but I've already got it covered. Wish me luck," he added sarcastically, but Ra's replied in a genuine tone, _"I do wish you luck, young Jason."_ The young adult now scowled; that bastard was going to fuck with him til the end of time. He smashed his thumb into the same button that took the call, but this time it ended the connection.

He drifted into the private driveway and stopped right in front of the house where a disapproving Alfred, an amused Bruce and a dazzled Tim were waiting for him. "I'm home, dad." was his only opening line.

"I hope you don't think you're going to go anywhere with Tim on that deathtrap, because that is not going to happen." Tim rolled his eyes, "Dick, Jason, and the rest of the Young Justice League can have them AND ride them, but I can't get on a motorcycle even if a brother of mine is driving it. Kinda hypocritical, papa." reasoned the five-year-old, and Jason smirked at the boy.

"I think we'll get along quite nicely," he said. He stepped forward to give his father a quick two-second hug and moved to give Alfred an embrace as well. He kneeled down in an attempt to meet Tim at eye level and said, "I'd give ya a hug too, but I'm not sure if we reached that point in our relationship." Tim nodded in agreement and answered back, "Very true; I need to make sure you're not the kind of guy who will slap a tracer on me while I'm not looking." The boy shot his father a look.

Jason chuckled at the statement, "That kind of thinking was so five years ago, now I'm onto 'kick me' signs." Blatant sarcasm was in his voice, which made Tim laugh. With the ice officially broken, the eldest son of Bruce Wayne turned to his father and said, "I wanna take Tim back to Blüdhaven in order for the kid to see where I live and all that 'getting to know each other' crap-stuff!" he quickly corrected. Alfred nodded in response to his correction.

Bruce shot his son a look, "Not on that motorcycle, Jason. I'll lend you a car." The said man shook his head, "No, I was thinking maybe we could take a jet out? You know, one like the Bat Jet, but it doesn't have to be that one. Give us one that won't cost me over fifty million dollars to replace," he grinned at the look the billionaire gave him.

Tim beamed, "Can we? I've always wanted to go flying in one! You've let me use the Zeta-Beam tubes, but never one of the jets! Can we please fly back to Blüdhaven?"

Bruce saw no real problem in allowing the boys to borrow one of the jets. Jason had a pilot's license that was granted to him by the state of New Jersey and Tim would help him in the navigation part of the journey. Nodding in consent, Bruce smiled, "I expect it back in the same shape I gave it to you, Jason."

They entered the house and made their way down from the luxurious setting of upstairs down to the dank and gloomy setting of the Bat Cave. As Jason reacquainted himself with the grotto he hadn't stepped into for a few years, and Bruce began typing command into the computer to bring out a jet on the roundabout, Tim ran upstairs to get the backpack that Alfred and he had packed an hour ago. The said butler escorted the child up and down the stairs and they returned about five minutes after their departure.

Tim giggled behind a hand that hid his laughter as he caught the end of Jason saying to Bruce, "Yes, I know how to dial 911 in an emergency, I know all of your phone numbers, and in case I REALLY need to contact you, I know how to hack into the Watchtower's system and find you there. Don't worry!" he encouraged his father, who was not amused by the hacking part of the promise.

Bruce saw that Tim had returned and he kneeled down to hug his youngest. The said child ran into those waiting arms and he hugged his papa with all his strength. "I'll see you in two days." Tim nodded against the crook of Bruce's neck and said back, "I love you, papa. Take care." This caused the man to hold his child closer. "I love you too, Tim."

They pulled apart and Tim rushed over to give Alfred a hug as well. When he pulled back the said man offered him a small bag and explained, "I took the liberty of making you and Master Jason some cookies on the way back to Blüdhaven. I hope you enjoy them, Master Timothy." The boy nodded excitedly and turned to Jason, "I'm ready to go." he said.

Jason nodded and picked up the small backpack and slung it over one shoulder. "Let's go, squirt. Time's a-wasting!" He offered his hand and Tim readily took it. They walked over to the roundabout that exchanged different vehicles depending on what Batman drove out of the cave on. Usually the Batmobile would be perched on the said circle, but in the time it took Tim and Alfred to go upstairs and collect his bag, a black jet took its place and now looked like it was ready to take flight.

Bruce and Alfred stood to the side as the boys entered the aircraft and prepped it for launch. Minutes ticked by before Jason said into the radio connected to Batman's supercomputer, "Houston, we're ready for liftoff!" Bruce gave them a thumbs-up and Tim added, "Copilot to Houston! I'm wondering if I can take my payment of this flight in cakes when I get back!" Bruce now shook his head while Alfred nodded.

Laughter filtered through the radio and soon the jet was taking off. The doorways that led out to the morning sky opened and they shot out like a bullet from a gun. Jason and Tim had left.

The twenty-year-old clicked a few buttons from red to green and maneuvered the plane to ascend into the higher atmosphere, "Were you for real about continuing to look for Dick?" he asked the child next to him. Tim turned to face him with a serious expression that Jason thought a kid could not make on his childish face. "Yes, I was," he said confidently. Jason grinned, "Good, because we aren't going to Blüdhaven. We're going to Paris."

Tim nodded and brought the supercomputer to life. He was going to have to begin searching through all of the databases regarding Paris, France. He added as an after thought, "We should probably shut off the tracker of this bird."

Jason glanced at him, "Why-" He paused, "Yeah, turn it off. I don't want an infuriated Batman kicking my ass if he tracks us down."

_**YJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJ**_

Roy and Cheshire stepped off of the train from the Yamanote Line and into the Hamamatsuchō Station. They made their way into the bustling city, considered a Sleepless City, and exited the station.

It was still dark out when they walked onto the busy streets and Cheshie took in a deep breath. "Okay, we just have to walk ten minutes down this path and we'll have reached his place." She pointed down one of the streets leading away from the station and began walking, but a strong hand grabbed her elbow and pulled her closer so she could hear him whispering over the street ambiance.

"I think I've indulged your sidestepping who we are going to meet. I let you jerk me around for a while now, and I want to know who we flew 7000 miles to see. Spill." he ordered. She took in his expression, which was set in a serious look. His aura also felt like he was done playing her games. She frowned lightly before pulling off his sun glasses; he froze in reaction to her gentle invasion of his space, but he didn't stop her. Once the sun glasses were removed from his face, she saw brilliant blue eyes that caused her heart to skip a beat, but she quickly squashed down that feeling.

Smiling, Cheshire said quietly, "Have you ever heard of Toyman?" Roy stiffened at the name and she added quickly, "Not the previous one. This kid named Hiro Okamura took the title, 'Toyman' and uses it for himself. This kid's neutral in the world of heroes and villains, but he won't turn away anyone who comes to him with a task worth his interest. At the age of thirteen, his I.Q is even higher than that smug jerk, Lex Luthor. Something the kid loves to shove in baldy's face." Her posture grew sober.

"If anyone can find your friends though technology, it's Okamura." She finished her statement and silence swallowed them whole.

Sounds of a train rolling into the station and a few minutes later departed was heard over the cars, a horn of a boat in the bay, and the chattering of people going about their daily business passed the two. Neither of them noticed, all of their attention focused on each other. Almost five minutes elapsed before Red Arrow nodded, "Lead the way, Cheshire." His voice was calm and it may have been her crazy mind working overtime, but he sounded more relaxed than ever before.

She smiled a genuine smile and took his hand into hers. He didn't protest and they continued walking in the direction that would soon lead them to Toyman's home.

_**YJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJ**_

Batman returned to the Watchtower just like the last time, with only a minute left on Nero's timer and saw most of the original seven and a couple other heroes were on the bridge. Superman glanced at his best friend as the Dark Knight came to stand by him. "Where's Tim?" he spoke in a whisper; he didn't have to, but the bridge was uneasy by the upcoming test, so it felt better to murmur.

The Dark Knight shook his head and replied back just as quietly, "I couldn't let him work himself tired again and I don't think Alfred could handle a hacking Tim, so I asked Jason if he could watch his brother." He ignored the incredulous look he received from Clark and continued staring at the timer that now read,

"**0:00:09"**

The heroes in the room shifted slightly in chairs or altered their positions. Aquaman, Martian Manhunter, and the Flash were situated on the lower level right in front of the large screens that were still black from having nothing to show.

Wonder Woman, was standing beside the Green Lanterns, Hal Jordan and John Stewart, with tense shoulders showing how anxious they were from the countdown. Black Canary held Green Arrow's hand either for her own support or to support Oliver, who looked like he was ready to snap. Superman noticed that Batman was looking in the direction of the archer and explained. "Dinah told him that Roy called in, but he now has more questions than answers." he murmured, "He's not taking things well."

Batman now looked to the Man of Steel and asked, "Are any of us?" but didn't comment on anything else. The timer hit zero and began counting up. The seconds grew from zero to a minute and more, which confused the Justice League.

"Is something wrong with the timer?" asked Black Canary as she stepped closer to a computer to check the system. Batman took a seat next to her and brought his console to life. The moment it flickered on, he began typing furiously; looking for a possible glitch in the technology. He couldn't find one.

The Flash blurred over to his side and demanded, "Is Nero screwing with us?" His tone was a sliver away from panic. "I don't know," Batman snapped curtly and he continued trying to find an answer that wasn't within his grasp. He called out to Martian Manhunter, "Have the computers malfunctioned at any time during the countdown, J'onn?" the said hero stepped forward so he could make eye contact with his friend.

"No, all programs have been running properly and nothing abnormal has happened."

Superman now glanced at the timer that turned from red to green and were now informing the League of the timer counting up. It was currently reading,

"**00:05:46"**

Batman spoke words that felt like a hard kick to the gut, "We'll have to wait and see what Nero has planned with this new timer."

_**YJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJ**_

The words _"Méfiez-vous de les oussuaires."_ faded into Robin's head as his mind groggily came back on, as he felt the ice cold ground underneath him pushing against his chest. He winced at the stone floor and shivered. _"Thank Paris for giving us these jackets."_ He slowly sat up and saw that the rest of the team was still unconscious around him; he blinked back his blurry vision and noticed that the room was dimly lit by emergency light similar to the castle mission. It still wasn't enough to make out any signs or something to tell him where they were now.

He crawled over to Wally and gently nudged the speedster. "K.F. Kid Flash, wake up." he whispered. There was a groan that sounded in the air before the said hero woke from his forced slumber. "Robin?" he asked in a thick voice. The teenager nodded and moved to wake up Artemis who was right beside Wally.

This repeated until the entire team was awake and aware of their new surroundings. The air was still and cold. Artemis breathed out of her mouth and saw a puff of breath, signifying how cold it was in this place. "Where are we?" questioned Kaldur as he pulled out the flashlight from his bag.

The light only showed off columns and a metal gate that was swung open, inviting them deeper into wherever they were.

Conner stepped closer to M'gann as protection and hissed, "Where the Hell are we?" He demanded from no one in particular. Something in his peripheral vision caught Robin's attention and he stepped away from the group almost in a daze and disappeared from sight. Seconds ticked by before anyone noticed. Aqualad shouted out, "Robin?" The Boy Wonder replied, "Over here guys! I know where we are!"

The other heroes sprinted off after the sound of his voice and when they found the youngest of the group, Robin was standing in front of a wooden sign over a doorway; it read,

"ARRETE!

C'EST ICI L'EMPIRE DE LA MORT"

Under his breath, the Boy Wonder said, "Stop! This is the Empire of Death…"

"Where are we, Robin?" asked Kaldur in a voice that showed slivers of his fear. The caped teenager turned and opened his mouth to answer, but another voice cut him off.

"_I am terribly sorry for the forty-minute delay, everyone. Please forgive me!" _spoke the cheery voice of Nero.

Wally quirked an eyebrow, _"He sounds like a circus host; constantly trying to appease people with his load of crap."_ he thought bitterly. Their bodies tensed and stiffened to the point of discomfort, but this entire situation did not bode well for anyone.

"_Welcome to the Test of Mortals where we will find the Young Justice League in the Catacombs underneath Paris, France!"_ Looks were shared among the team; why was Nero telling the whole entire world of their location? Was he insane?

Nero chuckled over the speaker placed around the area, _"I know what you all must be thinking, 'maybe the League can come and save us from Nero's task', but unfortunately no. This message goes out to every single person watching my games. I have set several bombs in the Catacombs; if anyone goes near them or my task, my sensors will notify me and I will blow up the passages, and the Young Justice League, to Hell. You can come and pick them up with mops and sponges."_ His cheery disposition changed entirely when he gave the warning; his tone grew dark and threatening, something only an insane person could sound like.

It was the first look into what Nero truly was.

After that, his voice returned to perky like a bipolar person going from depressed to chirpy. _"For now, please explore the area you are in! When you reach the destination I have chosen for you, the game will begin!"_ With that, Nero's voice vanished like a bad dream.

The team moved to stand closer to one another as they murmured to themselves. "There is no way the League could come and save us, even if they wanted to!" hissed Wally as he began pacing around the group. Artemis shut her eyes closed in an attempt to concentrate. "Okay! Okay, we know that Nero wants us to find something so the game can begin. Robin what else are in these Catacombs?" she asked the teenager to her left.

Robin brought up all of the information his brain had on these catacombs and said, "These catacombs are just an enormous ossuary; it was a place to store the dead in the 12th century, since Paris was expanding in the growth of population. Churches and religious groups began burying the bodies in these-" his trail of thought abruptly cut off.

The others saw his blank looks and Kaldur was about to place a hand on Robin's shoulder, when the bird murmured, "Ossuaries…"

M'gann blinked, "What?" she questioned. The Boy Wonder winced and held his head in his hands, "I'm trying to remember something, but I keep thinking of the word 'ossuaries'…" Superboy scowled, "What are 'ossuaries'?" Artemis replied quietly, "It's a place that serves as a final resting place specifically for skeletal remains…"

Wally glanced around the area until he pointed his flashlight down the tunnel that led them deeper into the catacombs. "I say we just start walking and try to find whatever this thing that Nero wants us to." They all looked the Kaldur, who nodded in agreement. "Very well," He turned to face his team, "We do not know how long Nero wants us to stay here, so we should conserve batteries. Only two flashlights will be on at all times." Robin, Conner, Artemis and Wally shut off their lights, leaving Kaldur and M'gann with the job of keeping everyone in the light.

The team entered the Empire of Death and found that there was nothing impressive to see for the first couple minutes. Nothing but columns supporting the ceiling were seen, and the ground gave away nothing. "Are we sure that this is the right place?" asked M'gann as she walked beside Aqualad.

He shrugged and pointed his flashlight forward; she followed suit. From the two small circles of light, the team saw that they officially entered the catacombs when the lights were lifted to eye level. Artemis, M'gann, and Wally screamed in bloody horror when they saw the thousands upon thousands of bones that made up the walls they were looking at. Terrified hands fumbled on pulling out more flashlights and after a second more the area they were standing in was lit with more light. More bones were shown; skulls lined one entire wall and Artemis felt bile rising in her throat. She clutched onto Wally's arm to keep from vomiting.

"Let us keep going," Kaldur gently urged as he held out his hand for Miss. Martian to hold onto. She clutched tightly at the offered appendage and the bravely continued on.

The Young Justice team continued walking in the dank paths that gave more headroom than they expected. The area where the tourists traveled the most had more space and felt roomier than the lower level, but now, without more people, it felt colder. When the air was breathed in, it felt like thin claws scratching down their throats. Jackets were secured even tighter as feet pattered on the stone floor, with the faint rumblings of water pipes in the distance.

Minutes passed and nothing different came about; the walls hardly changed from decorations of skeletal remains, and passages opened into different sections. Finally, after several more minutes of following their feet, Kaldur, who was leading the team, paused mid-stride. The others followed his lead and stopped. They all came upon a door that looked brand new; it was a metal door that closed off one of the individual sub-ossuaries.

Perplexed, Superboy and Aqualad both stepped closer to the door and placed their hands on it. "It was placed in here recently…" commented the Atlantean. Wally nodded his head in the direction of the door, "Maybe this is the thing Nero wanted us to find." he offered and everyone silently agreed to this assumption.

Conner and Kaldur shared a look and both closed the distance between them and the door; their hands grasped onto the latch and began tugging the door open. A feeling of dread filled Robin as he remembered Paris's words, _"Méfiez-vous de les oussuaires."_

"Beware of the ossuaries," he breathed. Sharply, he lifted his gaze upward and shouted, "DON'T!" but it was too late. The door was opened and thin needles rained down on the group and managed to hit each hero in one place or another.

Cries of pains and yelps of surprise echoed through the corridors and everyone took in needles. Kaldur lifted his flashlights to the others and saw that three were protruding from M'gann's chest. Artemis has five dotting her arms when she lifted them out of reflex. Wally and Robin both had two or three sticking out of their necks and upper chests. Miss. Martian shined some light upon Kaldur and Conner to find both of them had at least fifteen of these thin needles in their torsos, arms, and legs since they took most of the surprise attack.

"What the Hell was that?" demanded Artemis as she yanked them out of her arm. She winced in discomfort and moved to help the speedster remove the pin-like things. Once they were all removed and no one seemed to be bleeding from the injuries, the flashlights were shown into the private ossuary to show a mechanical device the seemed to have spat out several of the needles.

From inside the room came Nero's ecstatic voice, _"Now the real test begins! There is an acquaintance of mine named Queen Bee who has special stinger; they are her stinger guns that produce a horrible poison. If taken into the body, and if not treated soon with the antidote, the person will die in three hours. She has been kind enough to give me both the poison and the antidote just for my test!"_

Icy fingers ran down the six teenagers backsides as the truth sank in. They were going to die. Nero continued, _"However, deeper in the catacombs is the antidote. You all have three hours to find it and take it. If not, you will join the six million dead people living here."_ He laughed in utter glee and the Young Justice League now knew that this test was not to prove the differences between Metahumans and Non-Metahumans, this was for Nero's pure amusement, to have them dancing in the palm of his hands.

_**YJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJ**_

**Chinese Fairy:** Well I hope this is something that will make up for my skipped week and hopefully this was epic enough! The snowball is gaining speed and another contender has entered the race in finding the Team. Jason and Tim are making their ways to Paris, Roy and Cheshire are in Tokyo looking for someone who could possibly follow Nero's trail, and the Justice League cannot do anything to save them!

Please excuse my mistakes! My Mei Mei helped me edit the chapter again, so think of it this way, she made it more bearable!

I HOPE YOU ALL ENJOYED IT AND PLEASE REVIEW WHEN YOU READ! MORE REVIEWS WILL GIVE YOU LONGER CHAPTERS!

Thank you and take care~


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